Reference no: EM132507647 , Length: 15 pages

Case Study Proposal

Pipe handling system in onshore drilling operation

1. Introduction
Drilling operationsin general, are hazardous in nature and whatever can be done to alleviate this situation is important from a point of view of personnel safety and overall efficiency. Some of the most important drilling operations are pipe handling, tripping, and connection make up. These operations can be inconsistent, causing delays and potentially cause pipe or thread damage to the drill string. Further, these operations are some of the most hazardous on the drilling rig and can be exacerbated by personnel error, fatigue, environmental factors and inclement weather.

2. Problem Statement
One of the rig crew members who gets his name from the fact that he works on a platform attached to the derrick or mast, typically 85 ft [26 m] above the rig floor, during trips. On small land drilling crews, the derrickman is second in rank to the driller. In a typical trip out of the hole (TOH), the derrickman wears a special safety harness that enables him to lean out from the work platform to reach the drillpipe in the center of the derrick or mast, throw a line around the pipe and pull it back into its storage location (the fingerboards) until it is time to run the pipe back into the well. In terms of skill, physical exertion and perceived danger, a derrickman has one of the most demanding jobs on the rig crew.

3. What is dangerous about this job?
- Derrick operators may fall from heights, suffer electric shock, be injured by sharp working tools or by blows from falling objects or moving elements of the derrick.
- Derrick operators may become entangled in, or crushed by, moving parts of machinery, belts, chains and ropes.
- Derrick operators work in harsh weather or strong sunlight which may cause health problems.

4. Objective
an automated racking board pipe handling system has been developed which has the capability to address the following:
- Remove personnel from the mast/derrick and the "red zone" areas of the rig floor
- Eliminate swinging pipe, accidental pin/stump contact, and misalignment (which can lead to drill string damage, instability, and added costs)
- Control from an HMI (Human Machine Interface )in the driller's cabin or via remote control on the rig floor
- Mitigate inefficiencies due to inclement weather and/or environmental factors
- Enhance safety in well control situations due to nobody working at elevation

Article - Automated Racking Board Pipe Handling System for Drilling Rigs Ensures Connection Integrity While Providing Safer Working Conditions and Consistent Tripping Speeds With Minimal Rig Modifications

Part one

Case Study
As a professional human factors specialist you were recruited by your current company to select from your daily work environment a single activity, and apply your course knowledge to analysis and provide recommendations to improve the working conditions and posture of that activity.

To support you in this task refer to your Human Engineering text books.
The following should be addressed to complete your task:
• A brief introduction of the activity selected.
• A description of the reason for selecting this activity.
• Few snap shot of the activity investigated.
• Identification of the major and minor areas of concern/investigation.
• Analysis of the human factors principles and guidelines under review.
• A detailed description of the recommendations and suggestion proposed to improve the working conditions and posture of that activity
• A brief conclusion on the outcomes of this case study.

Part Two

• A comprehensive presentation on the area (Selection, Design, and Arrangement of Controls) selected.
You are expected to conduct the chapter presentation on the due date of the chapter chosen and present the case study in the subsequent lecture.

Attachment:- Human Factors Engineering .rar