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Rolling bearings used in offshore drilling applications must withstand extremely harsh operating conditions. Drill rig operators must therefore select bearings that maximise machine availability and prevent unplanned downtime, says Dr Steve Lacey, Engineering Manager at Schaeffler UK.
Rolling bearings for offshore drilling rig applications such as mud pumps, winches and drill string rotary tables, must operate in some of the harshest conditions on (and under) the Earth. These unforgiving environments subject the drilling equipment to extremely high stresses, so the bearings must be robust and reliable.
In terms of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), when selecting suitable rolling bearings, the entire lifecycle of drill rig plant and machinery must be considered, not simply the purchase costs of individual components such as the bearings.
As well as finding a suitable supplier of rolling bearings, drill rig operators must also consider what type of related support services that supplier is able to offer. For example, does the supplier offer expert technical advice from experienced engineers who are familiar with oil & gas industry applications? Can the supplier tailor its bearing products to meet my exact needs? Also, is the supplier willing and able to develop new bearings for specific applications, from concept through to volume production? Perhaps the OEM or drill rig operator is looking for a bearing supplier that is willing to collaborate as a development partner?
Bearing technical support is also an important consideration here. These services typically include advice and guidance on the mounting and dismounting of bearings, as well as recommendations on suitable lubricants and how to properly inspect used bearings.
Some bearing suppliers such as Schaeffler are also able to offer powerful bearing design calculation software tools to help analyse bearing designs in more detail and to ascertain whether these designs are suitable for a particular drill rig application. The friction values of alternative bearing designs, for example, can be compared quickly and easily. Using these software programs, it is also possible to precisely calculate, display and document the load acting on each individual bearing location on a mud pump or motor, while taking into account a wide variety of environmental conditions. In this way, Schaeffler is able to work closely with the customer to design an optimum bearing for the application
| Product Model | Inside Diameter | Outside Diameter | Thickness |
| 7013DB NACHI | 65 | 100 | 18 |
| 7312CDB NACHI | 60 | 130 | 31 |