FD

FLOATING DRILLING
EQUIPMENT AND
OPERATIONS

IADC Drilling Manual 12th Edition

IADC Drilling Manual Copyright 2015

CHAIRMANS ANNIVERSARY AWARD

Now Accepting Submissions!

IADC believes in the importance of continually improving performance for the drilling industry. We
recognize that every individual on every rig plays an important role and is crucial to this effort.

As such, we are proud to announce the IADC Chairmans Anniversary Award, which recognizes individuals
working in the field who have made a direct impact on improved performance for their company, either
through a project or personal effort. The Award will be given every five years as part of IADCs anniversary
celebrations.

Award recipients will demonstrate how their innovative project or personal effort directly improved
performance for their company in one of the following ways:
Eliminating injuries
Enhancing process safety
Reducing NPT
Improving equipment reliability
Increasing efficiency

Submissions will be evaluated based on the above criteria by a selected group of both IADC staff and
industry veterans.

The award recipient will be contacted in August, and the award will be presented during the IADC Annual
General Meeting (AGM) in November.

For more information or to submit an entry: www.iadc.org/chairmans-anniversary-award

TIMELINE:
March 1 May 31 Submissions accepted via IADC website
June 1 July 31 Evaluation of submissions
August Award recipient contacted
November Award presented at AGM
 FLOATING DRILLING EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS FD-i

CHAPTER

FD
FLOATING DRILLING
EQUIPMENT AND
OPERATIONS

he IADC Drilling Manual is a series of reference guides assembled by volunteer drilling-industry professionals with
T expertise spanning a broad range of topics. These volunteers contributed their time, energy and knowledge in developing
the IADC Drilling Manual, 12th edition, to help facilitate safe and efficient drilling operations, training, and equipment mainte-
nance and repair.

The contents of this manual should not replace or take precedence over manufacturer, operator or individual drilling company
recommendations, policies or procedures. In jurisdictions where the contents of the IADC Drilling Manual may conflict with
regional, state or national statute or regulation, IADC strongly advises adhering to local rules.

While IADC believes the information presented is accurate as of the date of publication, each reader is responsible for his own
reliance, reasonable or otherwise, on the information presented. Readers should be aware that technology and practices ad-
vance quickly, and the subject matter discussed herein may quickly become surpassed. If professional engineering expertise is
required, the services of a competent individual or firm should be sought. Neither IADC nor the contributors to this chapter war-
rant or guarantee that application of any theory, concept, method or action described in this book will lead to the result desired
by the reader.

Contributors
Dan Postler, Sierra Hamilton Orlan Lyle, Noble Drilling Services Inc.
Mark Childers, Consultant Calvin Norton, Friede & Goldman. Ltd.
Mark Dreith, Dreith Working Interests LLC John Shelton, Delmar Systems, Inc.
Vamsee Achanta, 2H Offshore Ron Swan, Noble Drilling Services Inc.
Bob Blank, Noble Drilling Services Inc. Rohit Vaidya, 2H Offshore
Taylor Bowles, National Oilwell Varco Meridith Wilson, SK Energy
Chistopher Brachey, 2H Offshore Justin Barrow, Delmar Systems, Inc.
Dale Doherty, ConocoPhillips Jason Pasternak, Delmar Systems, Inc.

Reviewers
Barry Braniff, Transocean Kevin Lake, Atwood Oceanics Inc.
Dave Foster, Transocean Sam Pannunzio, Atwood Oceanics Inc.
Harvey Rich, Atwood Oceanics Inc.
FD-ii FLOATING DRILLING EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS

This is a chapter of the IADC Drilling Manual, 12th edition.

Copyright 2015 International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC), Houston, Texas.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

International Association of Drilling Contractors

10370 Richmond Avenue, Suite 760
Houston, Texas 77042
USA
ISBN: 978-0-9909049-3-9

IADC Drilling Manual Copyright 2015

 FLOATING DRILLING EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS
CHAPTER RT
FLOATING DRILLING
EQUIPMENT AND
OPERATIONS
Introduction................................................................................. FD-1
Environment and safety.......................................................... FD-2
Environmental impact assessment................................. FD-3
Shallow hazard assessment.............................................. FD-3
Job safety analysis............................................................... FD-3
Simultaneous operations plans........................................ FD-3
Safety training and drills..................................................... FD-3
Conclusion..............................................................................FD-4
MODU floating equipment....................................................FD-4
Types of floating MODUs..................................................FD-4
Semisubmersibles............................................................. FD-4
Drillships...............................................................................FD-5
Ultra-Deepwater Drillships.............................................FD-5
Deck cranes and lifting systems......................................FD-6
Power generation and electrical systems...................... FD-7
Safety considerations........................................................FD-7
Power generation...............................................................FD-7
Configuration.......................................................................FD-7
Management system....................................................... FD-8
Redundancy and emergency power.......................FD-8
Fire, Safety, and Monitoring..............................................FD-9
Mooring systems and equipment...................................FD-12
Types of offshore-mooring systems......................... FD-12
Catenary moorings (conventional, steel,
poly-insert)........................................................FD-12
Semi-taut moorings (steel, steel-polyester,
steel-HMPE) ....................................................FD-12
Taut moorings (steel, steel-polyester,
steel-HMPE).....................................................FD-12
Offshore mooring line components.......................... FD-12
Stud Link Chain.....................................................FD-14
Steel wire rope......................................................FD-14
Polyester rope.......................................................FD-14
Anchors.............................................................................. FD-14
Drag embedment anchors................................. FD-14
Driven anchors......................................................FD-15
FD-iii
Contents
Gravity-installed anchors...................................FD-16
MODU deck mooring line-handling equipment........ FD-16
Drum winches.................................................................. FD-16
Traction winches............................................................. FD-16
Windlasses........................................................................ FD-17
Fairleaders......................................................................... FD-17
Auxiliary mooring equipment and hardware...............FD-17
Connecting hardware..................................................... FD-17
Dynamic positioning......................................................... FD-18
Well control and subsea equipment ........................... FD-20
Subsea BOP stacks......................................................... FD-20
Annular BOPs........................................................FD-20
Ram BOPs...............................................................FD-21
Kill and choke valves...........................................FD-22
Arrangement of a subsea BOP stack.............FD-22
Hydraulic wellbore connectors........................FD-23
Flex joint..................................................................FD-24
BOP control pods.................................................FD-24
BOP stack frame...................................................FD-25
Auxiliary and miscellaneous items.................FD-25
Subsea BOP control system......................................... FD-26
Surface control equipment................................FD-27
Subsea control pods............................................FD-28
Diverter control system......................................FD-28
Auxiliary and miscellaneous Items.................FD-29
Diverter systems..................................................FD-29
Marine risers...................................................................... FD-30
Physical operating principles....................................... FD-31
Buoyancy modules.......................................................... FD-32
Marine riser handling........................................................FD-32
Horizontal riser handling.............................................. FD-33
Vertical riser handling....................................................FD-34
Telescopic joints in marine riser systems............... FD-35
Emergency disconnect sequence.............................. FD-36
Subsea wellheads...............................................................FD-37
FD-iv FLOATING DRILLING EQUIPMENT AND OPERATIONS
Traveling load compensation..........................................FD-38
Drill string compensator...............................................FD-38
Crown-mounted compensator .................................. FD-39
Major CMC components...................................FD-39
Drawworks traveling block motion
compensation..............................................................FD-40
Marine riser tensioners................................................... FD-42
Wireline marine riser tensioners................................FD-42
Inline marine riser tensioners......................................FD-43
Guideline Tensioners......................................................FD-44
Riser recoil.........................................................................FD-44
Auxiliary systems.............................................................. FD-46
Cementing.........................................................................FD-46
Remotely operated vehicles .......................................FD-46
Location..............................................................................FD-46
Deck structure..................................................................FD-47
Power, electrical and safety.........................................FD-47
MODU marine operations.................................................. FD-47
Vessel stationkeeping......................................................FD-48
Approaching location.....................................................FD-48
Spread-moored systems...............................................FD-49
Dynamic positioning systems.....................................FD-53
Cargo, special well and marine operations.................FD-57
Work boats ......................................................................FD-57
Deck and overhead cranes...........................................FD-57
Bulk and liquid transfer.................................................FD-58
Completion and well fluids........................................... FD-59
Moving MODU with the BOP stack
suspended..................................................................... FD-59
Weather forecasting and integration
with operations...........................................................FD-60
IADC Drilling Manual
MODU well drilling operations..........................................FD-60
Spud meeting and preparation......................................FD-60
Setting the foundation pipe............................................. FD-61
Drill the hole, run pipe and cement..........................FD-62
Jet pipe into the ground................................................FD-63
Turbodrill the pipe into the ground...........................FD-63
Drilling riserless................................................................. FD-63
Setting the conductor pipe.............................................FD-64
Preparing the BOP stack for running...........................FD-64
Marine riser space out and operation......................... FD-66
Running the marine riser and BOP stack.................... FD-68
Leak-off test and maximum anticipated
surface pressure (MASP)............................................FD-70
Drilling below conductor casing.....................................FD-71
Well abandonment.............................................................FD-71
Other procedures...............................................................FD-72
Online, offline and simultaneous tubing/
casing handling........................................................... FD-72
Simultaneous operations ............................................. FD-72
Circulating marine riser of drilled cuts..................... FD-72
Diverting well fluids FD-73
Circulating out trapped gas
in the BOP stack......................................................... FD-73
Well testing....................................................................... FD-73
Completions and workovers.........................................FD-74
Coring...................................................................................FD-74
Setting cement plugs..................................................... FD-75
Unconventional floating drilling.....................................FD-75
Managed pressure drilling............................................ FD-75
Dual gradient drilling...................................................... FD-76
Surface BOP drilling........................................................ FD-76
Copyright 2015