Oilfield Catalog - Gates Corporation

Rig Technology
Offshore Supply Equipment
Two of the most obvious characteristics of
an offshore drill rig are its helicopter pad
and its cranes. These are integral to supplying
every offshore rig.
Manpower is often transported by helicopter.
But drill pipe, collars and other
equipment arrives by ship or barge.
The pedestal crane, with its ability to
rotate in full circle, is used almost exclusively
on offshore rigs. Sea conditions
can make crane operations extremely
hazardous, compared to operations on
land. Because of this, offshore crane operation
has become yet another specialty
in the oil patch.
Rigs are equipped with special warning
lights and sirens to indicate when H2S is
encountered during drilling. Crew members
are also issued gas masks and are trained
in escape procedures should hydrogen
sulfide be released at a rig site.
Blowout prevention systems must be able
to withstand H2S gas long enough to allow
for escape. For this reason, Gates Choke
and Kill Hose and Super Choke and Kill
Hose is manufactured to withstand 20 percent
H2S for a period of one hour at 200°F
(93°C) at working pressure.
These hoses also pass Lloyd’s of London
Flexible Hose Fire test OSG/l000/499 at
1,300°F (700°C) for 30 minutes at rated
working pressure.
Hydrogen Sulfide
One of the most dangerous factors encountered
in drilling, particularly offshore,
is the lethal gas hydrogen sulfide, often
called H2S.
It deserves special mention. Hydrogen
sulfide is nearly as lethal as cyanide, one
of the most caustic substances on earth.
It occurs in relatively young rocks, by
geologic measure, and is encountered in
many drilling theatres, onshore as well as
off, including the Gulf of Mexico and the
North Sea.
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