Key Points for Routine and Seasonal Maintenance of Drilling Equipment

Key Points for Routine and Seasonal Maintenance of Drilling Equipment

Keeping drilling equipment in good working order is crucial for ensuring smooth operations, extending equipment lifespan, and reducing overall costs. This requires combining routine maintenance with in-depth seasonal maintenance to form a complete management routine. Routine maintenance focuses on prevention and timely detection of minor problems, while seasonal maintenance focuses on systematic care for equipment during long-term storage or seasonal changes.

The core of routine maintenance lies in regular checks and immediate interventions before and after each use. Before starting work, operators should conduct a basic inspection of the equipment, including: checking the engine or motor's oil, coolant, and fuel levels; checking for leaks in hydraulic lines and all joints; tapping key connecting bolts with a hammer to check for tightness; and visually inspecting wire ropes and drive belts for broken strands, cracks, or excessive wear. After starting, let the equipment idle for a few minutes, carefully listening to whether the operating sound is smooth and observing the readings of various instruments (such as pressure gauges and thermometers) to ensure they are normal. After work, an essential task is to promptly clean the drill pipes, drilling platform, and mud pumps of the thick mud, especially rinsing the filters in the mud circulation system to prevent it from drying and hardening. These seemingly simple steps effectively prevent most sudden failures caused by loosening, blockage, or poor lubrication.

When equipment completes a phase of construction work or is prepared for long-term storage, a more thorough seasonal maintenance is required. This is usually scheduled during the off-season or before storage for the next season. Key maintenance points include: completely changing the engine oil and all filters (oil filter, diesel filter, air filter); draining the engine cooling system, fuel tank, and all water lines (especially in cold regions, antifreeze measures are necessary); adding or replacing fresh grease to all lubrication-required parts (such as bearings, universal joints, and chains). In addition, a systematic inspection of wear parts, such as drill bits, bearing slips, and brake pads, is necessary, and replacements should be made based on the degree of wear. For equipment stored for extended periods, exposed metal moving parts (such as piston rods and lead screws) should be coated with anti-rust oil, and the equipment should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated indoor location or covered with a sturdy rainproof tarpaulin.

Implementing maintenance effectively relies on good record-keeping habits. It is recommended to create a maintenance log for each major piece of equipment, clearly recording the date, content, and problems found for each daily inspection, periodic maintenance, and parts replacement. This log not only ensures no work is missed but also helps track the equipment's "health history," analyze the replacement cycle of vulnerable parts, and thus shift from "reactive repair" to "proactive maintenance." Through this maintenance system that combines daily and seasonal checks, the drilling equipment, this expensive "iron partner," can be kept vibrant and ready for the next drilling mission.