Upstream and Drilling
Hoisting & Traveling Equipment
Hoisting & Traveling Equipment
1- Drawworks
The machine on the rig consisting of a large-diameter steel spool, brakes, a power source and assorted auxiliary devices. The primary function of the drawworks is to reel out and reel in the drilling line, a large diameter wire rope, in a controlled fashion. The drilling line is reeled over the crown block and traveling block to gain mechanical advantage in a "block and tackle" or "pulley" fashion. This reeling out and in of the drilling line causes the traveling block, and whatever may be hanging underneath it, to be lowered into or raised out of the wellbore. The reeling out of the drilling line is powered by gravity and reeling in by an electric motor or diesel engine.

2- Blocks
A set of pulleys used to gain mechanical advantage in lifting or dragging heavy objects. There are two large blocks on a drilling rig, the crown block and the traveling block. Each has several sheaves that are rigged with steel drilling cable or line such that the traveling block may be raised (or lowered) by reeling in (or out) a spool of drilling line on the drawworks

3- Hooks
The high-capacity J-shaped equipment used to hang various other equipment, particularly the swivel and kelly, the elevator bails or topdrive units. The hook is attached to the bottom of the traveling block and provides a way to pick up heavy loads with the traveling block. The hook is either locked (the normal condition) or free to rotate, so that it may be mated or decoupled with items positioned around the rig floor, not limited to a single direction.

4- Swivels
A mechanical device that must simultaneously suspend the weight of the drillstring, provide for rotation of the drillstring beneath it while keeping the upper portion stationary, and permit high-volume flow of high-pressure drilling mud from the fixed portion to the rotating portion without leaking.

5- Crown Blocks
The fixed set of pulleys (called sheaves) located at the top of the derrick or mast, over which the drilling line is threaded. The companion blocks to these pulleys are the traveling blocks. By using two sets of blocks in this fashion, great mechanical advantage is gained, enabling the use of relatively small drilling line (3/4 to 1 1/2 in. diameter steel cable) to hoist loads many times heavier than the cable could support as a single strand.