What Is RCD In Drilling?

A managed pressure drilling system, used in conjunction with a continuous circulating device to control wellbore pressure, helped an international E&P company successfully drill a difficult section of an deepwater exploration well in Ghana, West Africa, in 2012. Extending these MPD advantages to a broader scope of deepwater wells can offer safety, operational and economic rewards, however equipment deployment can be hampered by the inability of deepwater drilling vessels, originally built for conventional open-to-the-atmosphere circulating systems, to readily accommodate it.
RCD creates a secure seal around rotating drill pipe and tool joints using an elastomer element (RCD Element), the inner diameter of RCD element hammer grab is in continuous contact with the drill string and is stressed during RIH, POOH and any other drill string movement during operations.

The success of this equipment and its application marks a significant point in the extension of MPD safety and operational enhancement capabilities into the high-risk, high-cost environment of deepwater drilling and specifically to drilling rigs that have dynamic positioning capabilities.
In a significant design advance, the Model 7875 DS enhances the safety of offshore MPD operations by using a remotely operated hydraulic latching system that allows bearing and sealing elements to be changed without the need for personnel in the moonpool area.

A rotating control device (RCD), which creates a pressure tight barrier in the wellbore annulus thus enabling containment and diversion of returning fluids. The MPD system, facilitated by the subsea RCD, enabled the well to be drilled to its targeted depth.
Manipulation of the MPD choke manifold leads to changes in annular backpressure at the surface, which immediately increases or decreases downhole wellbore pressure. Derrick Lewis, Halliburton's global operations manager, GeoBalance Measured Pressured Drilling Service, understands the technology well.
It is a down-hole isolation valve that when closed isolates the formation pressure to facilitate the removal and installation of bottom-hole assemblies while eliminating pressure at the surface. The Model HOLD is designed for use in high-pressure drilling applications.

Detection during pressure set-point changes in MPD operations. This equipment is used for drilling a borehole through soft and hard rock layers for the construction of foundation. Prior MPD operations aboard floating vessels have been configured with a surface RCD above the water line and the tension ring.
Using the Model 7875 DS system, the RCD bearing and packer assembly is installed through the diverter housing and marine riser system when operations need to shift to MPD mode. Yes, EC-Drill® is well suited to manage pressure during cementing operations. In surface applications, the RCD is installed on top of the BOP stack.