know the maximum ton miles you can actually run drill line before a slip/cut?

The amount you can run before making a cut depends on your rig, the type of drilling line, and
the size of drilling line you're running.
On most rigs using 1-1/2" or 1-5/8" drill line the
standard is going to be between 2700 and 3000 Ton miles. This is when all
calculations are done by hand as when the driller or T/P are calculating the
trips (weights and distance lifted) and work done using a T/M spread sheet etc.
There are as stated many variables in this process. All rigs are not the same.
Draw-works drum circumference and also block//crown sheave circumference will
have a great effect on line wear. Condition of the drum grooving on the
draw-works and fleet angle of the drill line from the crown to the kick-off
rollers of the draw-works have an effect, the wear plate condition at the edge of
the drum (are they worn which causes line damage) and does your second and
third layer wrap back perfectly as the drill line starts the next layer? Are
you drilling in the south or up north in hard rock country?

Most of these questions all have purpose and on the other hand have none at all. If
you actually had a computerized T/M counter you might find that in reality you
were really cutting at 3700 or 4100 Ton miles. Blocks are moved all the time
without being recorded. Drilling with stands and picking up singles from the
mousehole, working off of a stabbing board, so many variables are not
considered.
What does work is this. Rig history and being consistent as possible between crews
when it comes to keeping important data and information such as T/Miles. If one
crew fails to keep proper records the next crew may pay the price and it can be
a high price to pay.
Two rigs running the exact same drill line from the same manufacturer may not
achieve the same T/mile record because of the variables mentioned above.
Periodic drill line inspections should be carried out looking for broken
strands, flattened strands, distorted (out of round) drill line or
under-calipered drill line. Most drill line failures will occur naturally
closer to the fast line side of the reeve. First or second layer of the
draw-works drum, this is the oldest line and has the most actual ton miles on
it. Lets just say your total string up is 1200 feet of cable. Each cut you
make is 100 feet. You have to achieve 12 slip and cuts to have the new line
from the first cut reach the draw-works. Always inspect the wire which is on
the first layer of the drum plus the kick off point starting the second layer.
Periodically check this drill line with a caliper (micrometer) to see if it is
still the proper diameter. If inner core is failing then the over-all diameter
will be less than normal.
Sometimes rigs do get into an accepted slip and cut program from trial and error which
really is wise and cost-effective and in this case people are not asking the
question (how many T/M can you run before slipping and cutting?) If you are

slipping and cutting constantly and consistently at 2800 T/M and never have to
make a long cut then for sure you are either running at or below the possible
achievable T/Miles. On the other hand if that line you are cutting is not
flattened or contain any broken strands then it is possible that you could
actually extend your T/Ms to 2900 or 3000. But be cautious because there is a
point which can be passed which will show up a few cuts 3 or 4 down the line
where you will see damage to the drill line and you might have to cut 200 to
400 ft of drill line to get rid of the bad line and then drop back on your
T/Miles once again to prevent a repeat. Each rig is different, time, study and
good history will only really answer your question properly.
Regardless of your rigs goal visual inspection overrides all other aspects. Is the line broken,
flattened? How many busted strands. This among other things determines your rigs goal. I
worked on a rig so small that there was no way to cut on ton miles. The line was worn smooth
out long before you accumulated enough miles to cut. We just kept our eyes on it and cut
about every couple of wells.
DRILLING LINE WEAR
In working the line, heavy wear occurs
a few localized sections: where the
rope makes contact with the travelling
block sheaves, the crown block
sheaves and the drum.
Heavy wear occurs in 3 localized areas:
1. Where the drilling line makes contact with
the crown block and the travelling block
sheaves
2. The position of the drilling line on the
sheaves when the slips are set and pulled
1. 3. The position on the drum where each
wrap of the drilling line crosses over the
layers below

Extreme positions in the operations of run and pool out of hole

SLIP AND CUT TON MILES CALCULATIONS AS PER API RP9B

- Work Done During Round-Trip

The only complicated part of a cut-off

procedure is the determination of how

much work has been done by the wire
rope.
Methods such as counting the number
of wells drilled or keeping track of days
between cuts are not accurate because
the loads change with the depth and
with different drilling conditions.
For an accurate record of the amount of
work done by a drilling line, it's
necessary to calculate the weight being
lifted and the distance it is raised and
lowered. In engineering terms, work is
measured in foot-pounds.
On a drilling rig the loads and distance
are so great that we use "ton-miles".
One Ton-mile equals 10,560,000 footpounds.

Work Done During Reaming

With reaming after drilling the stand
Without reaming after drilling the

stand
Work Done During
Drilling with Top Drive (with
stands)

Work Done During CSG

The ton-miles of work done in setting
casing would be one-half the ton-miles
done in making a round trip if the weight of
the casing were the same as the weight of
the drill pipe.

Slip and Cut the drilling line

Every contractor follows a programme,
depending on the kind of rig, wire rope,
drawwork, etc, to calculate when to slip and
cut the drilling line.

IADC tool Pusher's manual

Recommended Cutoff Lengths
Length of drilling line to be cut following the API RP 9B regulations.

Table: Recommended Cutoff Lengths

Ton miles for 1 " drilling line suggest by IADC
1. Do not accumulate more than 3700
ton-miles between cuts, even on the first
cut of a new line.
2. So long as less than 3700 ton-miles
have been accumulated, a cut may be
made anytime it is convenient. To
determine the length to cut, refer to the
above table or calculate so that your
"ton-miles per foot cut" is constant
(length to cut = T - M since last cut
25.0).
3. This program is based upon a goal of
25.0. Any attempt to improve rope
service by increasing the ton-mile goal
should not be made until one entire
drilling line (requiring no long cuts) has
been used following this particular
program.
The whole objective of a ton-mile programme is to obtain maximum rope service
without
jeopardising the safety of the rig operation. This is achieved by shifting the rope
through the
previously discussed critical wear areas and distributing the wear more uniformly
along the length of

the rope. If too much wire rope is cut off too frequently, there will be an obvious
waste of usable
drilling line, which will result in higher than necessary rig operating costs. However
if the rope is
moved through the reeving system too slowly, sooner or later some section of the
drilling line will
become worn and damaged to such an extent that there will be a danger of failure,
injury to
personnel, damage to equipment and expensive downtime. At the very least it will
be necessary to
make a "long cut" to eliminate some broken wires, such as has happened quite
frequently over the
past couple of years on several rigs in Kuwait. For these reasons it is important that
the drilling line
be cut off at the proper rate. The purpose of a ton-mile programme is to provide a
method for
keeping track of the amount of work done by the drilling line, and a systematic
procedure for making
cuts of the appropriate length at the appropriate time. In conjunction with the
record keeping
required for the cut-off procedure, daily visual inspection of the drilling line should
be made for
broken wires and any other rope damage.
It should be reiterated here that in all cases visual inspection of the wire
rope
must take precedence over any predetermined calculations.

Round trip ton-miles Calculation

All types of ton-mile service should be calculated and recorded in order to obtain a true
picture of the total service received from the rotary drilling line. There are several types
of ton miles as follows;
1. Round trip ton-miles
2. Drilling or connection ton-miles
3. Coring ton-miles
4. Ton-miles setting casing
5. Short-trip ton-miles

For this time, I will show how to calculate round trip ton-mile.
Round Trip Ton-Miles Calculation
The formula for round trip ton-miles is listed below;
RTTM = (Wp x D x (Lp + D) + (2 x D) x (2 x Wb + Wc)) (5280 x 2000)
where
RTTM = Round Trip Ton-Miles
Wp = buoyed weight of drill pipe in lb/ft
D = hole measured depth in ft
Lp = Average length per stand of drill pipe in ft
Wb = weight of travelling block in lb
Wc = buoyed weight of BHA (drill collar + heavy weight drill pipe + BHA) in mud minus
the buoyed weight of the same length of drill pipe in lb
** If you have BHA (mud motor, MWD, etc) and HWDP, you must add those weight into
calculation as well not just only drill collar weight. **
2000 = number of pounds in one ton
5280 = number of feet in one mile
Note: One ton-mile equals 10,560,000 foot- pounds, and is equivalent to lifting 2,000
pounds a distance of 5,280 feet
Example: Round trip ton-miles
Mud weight = 10.0 ppg
Average length per stand = 94 ft
Drill pipe weight = 13.3 lb/ft
Hole measure depth = 5500 ft
Drill collar length = 120 ft
Drill collar weight = 85 lb/ft

HWDP length = 49 lb/ft

HWDP weight = 450 ft
BHA weight from directional driller = 8,300 lb
BHA length = 94 ft
Travelling block assembly = 95,000 lb
Solution:
a) Buoyancy factor:
BF = (65.5 10.0) 65.5
BF = 0.847
b) Buoyed weight of drill pipe in mud, lb/ft (Wp):
Wp = 13.3 lb/ft x 0.847
Wp = 11.27 lb/ft
c) buoyed weight of BHA (drill collar + heavy weight drill pipe + BHA) in mud
minus the buoyed weight of the same length of drill pipe in lb (Wc):
Wc = {[(12085) + (49450) + (8300)] x 0.847} [(120+450+94) x13.3x 0.847]
Wc = 26,866 lb
Round trip ton-miles = [(11.27 x 5500 x (94+ 5500)) + (2 x 5500) x (2 x 95000 +
26,866)] (5280 x 2000)
RTTM = 258.75 ton-mile

Use of Ton Mile formula.

To convert the use of lbs. & ft. as used on the rig to ton-miles we need a conversion factor: 2000(lbs. In a ton) x 5280 (ft. in a mile) = 10 560 000
To understand this figure it may be useful to realise that if you pick up or lower a 1
lbs. Wt.10 560 000 ft. it is equivalent to 1 Ton Mile.
By a similar argument if you have a wt. Of 10 560 000 lbs. and ether picked up or
lowered it 1 ft. it to is equivalent to doing 1 Ton Mile of work.

The formula.
D x ( D + L ) x BWS + (1/2 BHA + TBW) x D For Tripping Ton Miles
10 560 000 2 640 000
D x ( D + L ) x BWS + TBW x D For Csg. Ton Miles
10 560 000 2 640 000
D - Distance of trip.
L - Length of tubular being used (i.e. 43 for Csg. Or 95 for d.p.).
BWS Boyd wt. Of string in mud.
(1/2 BHA)-Bottom hole Assembly Wt.Only to be used in conjunction with Drilling
TBW- Travelling Block Wt.
This gives you Ton Miles for a round trip. It must be HALVED for a one way trip
i.e. Csg.
To understand the formula we will consider the Left Hand Side and the Right Hand Side of it
separately.
The R.H.S. first: - this gives you the work done in Ton Miles for moving the blocks during
tripping operations, in the case of Drilling Ton Miles it accounts for the additional burden of
the B.H.A.
To round trip a string the blocks will travel a distance of 4 times the depth of the hole.
i.e. to round trip one stand: - Blocks go up derrick & p/up stand.
Blocks go down derrick r.i.h.
Blocks go up derrick p.o.o.h.
Blocks go down derrick to starting point.
The work done lifting and lowering the blocks whilst tripping just one stand of pipe
can be calculated as follows: The Wt. of the travelling block times the distance
it travels times four = 120 000 lbs. x 95 ft. x 4
= 120 000 x 380
= 45 600 000 ft./ lbs. work for a round trip
This figure is divided by the conversion factor: 45 600 000 / 10 560 000 = 4.32 Ton Miles work for round trip
This half of the formula could be written,
T.B.W. x D x 4 But can be simplified by instead of
10 560 000 multiplying the product of the brackets by
4, dividing 10 560 000 by 4 as follows.
T.B.W. x D
2 640 000
If a B.H.A. is involved it is only burdening the blocks for two of the four passes the
blocks make of the derrick, hence only adding B.H.A. to the T.B.W.
The L.H.S. now- This side of the formula works out the Ton Miles accumulated by hoisting
and lowering the weight of the tubules.
Consider a round trip of 500 ft. using stands of 100 ft. length that weigh 20 lbs. per ft.
i.e. 1 St. weighs 2000 lbs. in mud.
Lower wt. of 1 st. 100 ft. = 2 000 x 100 = 200 000 ft. / lbs. work.
Lower wt. of 1+2 st. 100 ft = 4 000 x 100 = 400 000
Lower wt. of 1+2+3 st. 100 ft. = 6 000 x 100 = 600 000
Lower wt. of 1+2+3+4 st. 100 ft. = 8 000 x 100 = 800 000

Lower wt. of 1+2+3+4+5 st. 100 ft. = 10 000 x 100 = 1 000 000
N.B. Each consecutive stand has the wt. of the
previous stands attached. Total : - 3 000 000 x 2 to complete the
round trip.
6 000 000 ft. lbs. work on line.
To convert this to Ton Miles, divide this by the conversion factor: 6 000 000 = 0.57 Ton Miles work for
10 560 000 round trip
If we use the formula to simplify the maths: D x ( D + L ) BWS = 500 ( 500 + 100 ) x 20 = 0.57 Ton Miles work for
10 560 000 10 560 000 round trip
On the same trip the blocks would have contributed: TBW x D = 120 000 x 500 = 22.73 Ton Miles work for round trip
2 640 000 2 640 000
Total Ton Miles for a round trip of 500ft. = 22.73 + 0.57 = 23.30 Ton Miles work for
Round trip
As can be seen at shallow depths heavy blocks have a significantly greater affect on
Ton Miles clocked up, as does the weight of the pipe being moved.

Drilling Ton-Miles.
Drilling ton miles are arrived at by: Firstly calculating the round trip Ton Miles at the depth you start drilling and
subtracting this figure from the round trip Ton Miles at the depth you finish drilling.
Then secondly multiplying this figure, traditionally by three or if you were coring, by
two.
The need to multiply the Ton Miles can be explained as follows: Drilling with a Kelly can be broken down into six operations, each operation placing a
round trip work on the line. The total of which would require three round trips for every
single drilled.
1st The Kelly is drilled down plus or minis 31 ft.
2nd The Kelly is back reamed plus or minis 31 ft.
3rd The Kelly is reamed down plus or minis 31 ft.
4th The Kelly is pulled back up plus or minis 31 ft., the slips are set & the Kelly is broken off
5th The Kelly is made up to the single in the mouse hole, and then lifted up a further 31 ft.
6th The new single is made up to the string and the string is lowered back down 31 ft. to the
bottom.
N.B. If hole conditions require additional reaming, each additional ream will add one more
round trip over that section.
The reason Coring Ton Miles are only multiplied by two, is because during this
operation the string is not usually back reamed if it can be avoided, thereby reducing the
chance of losing the core being collected.
Drilling with a Top Drive however can be broken down into four operations, each operation
placing round trip work on the line. The total of which would require two round trips for
every stand drilled.
1st The stand is drilled down.
2nd The stand is back reamed.
3rd The stand is reamed down again.

4th TheTop Drive is broken off, and the blocks go up for the next stand, drilling recommences
And finally it is important to realise that the measuring and recording of Ton Miles is
not a direct, but an indirect indication of the work and wear that your line has done. It does
not take into account shock loads, hard braking or damage being done by sheaves or spooling
on the drum. The life expectancy of your line can only be fully assessed by full inspection of
the line that is cut off during your slip and cut routine.
The entire piece, as well as the individual strands that make up the line is inspected
for corrosion and how much tar lubrication is remaining. Testing includes amongst other
things measuring the lines, flexibility (both twisting and bending), its ability to stretch under
load, and recover to its original length, and ultimately full destruction testing to identify the
load it will brake at. It is important to realise that a high braking strain on its own is not
necessarily a good sine, a work hardened line can have a high braking strain but have
exceeded its life expectancy, caused by its reduced ability to bend or stretch.
It is through these inspections that you have to be prepared adjust at how many TonMiles you perform yore slip and cut routine.

Cutting off a Drilling Line: Safe Procedures

For many years drilling contractors have extended the life of their drilling lines by moving the
areas of wear toward the drum to be cut off. The proper time to slip or cut off line on the drum
end varies on different rigs.
The crews should remember whatever cut-off procedure they are using, visual inspection should
come first. If the line becomes too badly worn, it should be cut off or changed when noticed. In
preparation for cutting (slipping) the drilling line, employees should be aware of the potential
hazards, including but not limited to:
1. Fall from height: wear proper fall protection (full body harness) and utilize 100% tie off.
2. Hoisting personnel into the derrick may result in falls, caught in, caught between: use
full body harness type boatswains chair (or work basket), use personnel hoisting
procedures, be sure the winch operator has full view of the person being hoisted at all
times. The winch operator must stay at winch at all times when a person is being hoisted,
held in position, or lowered.
3. Struck by: be aware of potential dropped from the derrick, stay out from below
derrickman when he is tying off the blocks, take care when removing the drilling line
form the drum, be aware of use of tools while tightening the clamps on the line (drum and
dead line).
4. Slip/Fall while removing drilling line from drum/rig floor: be aware of footing, keep deck
clear of tripping hazards, use a rig floor winch to let the cut off line down from the rig
floor.

5. Miscommunication: hold a pre-job safety meeting to discuss each members

responsibilities, assign a signal man for tasks that require hoisting operations.
When getting ready to cut off the drilling line, the traveling block should be hung in the derrick
on block hanging line(s) that hang from the crown. The hanging line should be rated for the
weight of the blocks plus an adequate safety factor (check with wire rope manufacturer).
The TIW valve should be installed in the drill pipe prior to hanging off the blocks and the
elevators attached to the pipe in the hole.
The derrickman should get to the traveling block by means of the air hoist line with a
boatswains chair (or derrick work basket). The driller should be at the master clutch. Once the
derrickman has attached the hanging line(s) to the blocks, he should return to the drill floor.
When removing the blocks hanging line(s) after the drill line is cut and slipped, the derrickman
should utilize a boatswains chair and air hoist line to reach the hanging line(s). After he has
disengaged the hang-line from the block, he should swing the hang-line to a man in the derrick
corner to be secured. The man in the derrick who is to secure the hang-line should have fall
protection harness and be secured to the derrick at all times. The derrickman should then return
to the floor by the boatswains chair. The man that secured the hang-line should climb down the
derrick ladder using a safe climbing device. He should never slide down the dead line.
1. Remove the excess worn line from the drum and cutoff as planned. Always use a wire
line cutter. Never use a hatchet or sharp tool. Wear eye protection (chipping goggles)
in addition to this check.
2. Clamp the drum end of the line back into the drum and tighten the drum clamp as tightly
as possible.
3. Loosen the clamps on the wire line anchor and slip through as much line as is needed to
put the desired wraps on the drum. Care should be taken to ensure that the warps are tight
and together.
4. Tighten the wire line clamps on the anchor, pick up traveling block and remove the
hanging line(s) from block. The hanging line(s) should be tied back in the corner of the
derrick out of the way of the blocks and ready for use the next time the line is slipped or
cut off.
5. Recheck all clamps and position of line and start in hole with a safe drilling line.
6. Reinstall the crown protection device if it was removed. Adjust as necessary to stop the
blocks as required.
7. Reinstall the guard on the front of the drawworks.
8. Reinstall the weight indicator sensor on the dead line and remove the TIW valve.

Hazard OF SLIPPING AND CUTTING DRILL LINE

WHAT HAPPENED:
A rig crew gathered tools and equipment and rigged up to slip and cut the drill line. Two floormen were
located on top of the motor shed where they marked and cut the drill line. The dead end of the drill line
was rigged to lift out of the drawworks with a crane using a cable clamp type-lifting device. As the drill
line was removed from the drum, the crane hoisted it. When it was about 70 ft. (21.3 m) in the air, the
drill line slipped out of the clamp device and the line fell striking a floorman on the hardhat and
shoulder.
WHAT CAUSED IT:
Employee was allowed to stand under a hoisted load.
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS:
Do not allow personnel to work or stand under hoisted loads.
Conduct a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) to determine the possible hazards associated with the
task. Information on performing JSAs can be found in the IADC Accident Prevention
Reference Guide.
Include the JSA in the pre-job safety meeting conducted prior to the task to ensure all points of
hazard are discussed including that all personnel are aware of the hazards of working under a
load.
Prior to hoisting a load ensure, that all personnel are out of the area below where the load is
being hoisted and its expected path of movement.
To avoid a hazard by hoisting the cable into the air, roll it off of the drawworks drum and pull it
out the V-door.