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Instrumentation & Control
Drilling Control Systems
A drilling control system links the driller's chairs to the drawworks, top drive, mud pumps and pipe handling machines through a control network and machine controllers. It includes the chairs, cabin servers, zone management and the software that ties them together. NOV Amphion and Nabors SmartROS are well-known platforms. Used drilling control systems range from single chairs to complete cabin packages.
How a drilling control system works
The driller commands machines through joysticks and touch screens on the chair armrests. Chair inputs travel over a redundant control network to the machine controllers, which run the drawworks drives, top drive, mud pump drives and pipe handler. Cabin servers hold the operator screens, alarms and event logs, and pass drilling data to the electronic drilling recorder.
The zone management system (ZMS) is the most important logic in the package. It knows where the travelling block, pipe handler, iron roughneck and racker are, and stops a machine before it enters space another machine occupies. Emergency stop circuits sit alongside it, usually hardwired so that they act even if the network fails.
Configurations
- Single chair, typical on land rigs and older jackups.
- Driller and assistant driller chairs, with the second chair running pipe handling and offline stand building.
- Dual-activity layouts with chairs for each well centre, common on deepwater drillships and semisubmersibles.
- Single-OEM packages, where one supplier provides machines and controls, or retrofit packages that control machines from several makers.
Single-OEM packages integrate tightly but tie you to that OEM for changes. Multi-vendor retrofit systems give freedom of supplier at the cost of more interface engineering.
Key specifications
| Parameter | Why it matters | Typical classes or units |
|---|---|---|
| Software release | Sets which machines, screens and automation layers it supports | OEM version number |
| Chair count and roles | Decides who can run which machine | 1 to 4 chairs |
| Controller and network | Must match spares and your machine controllers | PLC family, Profibus, Profinet, EtherNet/IP |
| Redundancy | Decides behaviour on a single controller or network fault | Single, dual network, hot-standby CPU |
| Cabin Ex method | Sets where the cabin can sit | Pressurised room, Zone 1 or Zone 2 |
Standards and class
DNV-OS-E101 and the ABS CDS Guide treat the drilling control system as part of the classed drilling plant, so class reviews software changes as well as hardware. ISO 13850 sets the design principles for the emergency stop function. Where your safety analysis assigns a safety integrity level to an interlock or emergency stop, IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 set the verification and proof testing it needs. A pressurised driller's cabin follows IEC 60079-13, which covers the purge, overpressure monitoring and the action taken on loss of pressure or gas at the air intake.
Failure modes and inspection
- Joystick sensors and gimbals wear, and drift shows as creep with the stick centred.
- Touch screens lose calibration and backlights dim with hours.
- PC-based servers fail on disks, fans and power supplies, and old operating systems may not run on replacement hardware.
- Network switches and fibre links fail in ways a redundant network hides until the second path goes.
- UPS batteries reach end of life whether the system ran or not.
A credible inspection powers the system up, checks every I/O loop, tests the ZMS with simulated machine positions, trips each emergency stop, and pulls one network path and one controller to prove the redundancy.
Documentation
Ask for the software release and a full configuration backup, the licence certificate and transfer terms, the functional design specification, I/O lists, the ZMS design and test record, the last factory or site acceptance test, fault and event logs, and any class approval letters. A system without its configuration backup is a set of spare parts.
Integration and compatibility
Each machine connects through a defined interface, usually a fieldbus link to its drive or local controller. Confirm that the interface version on your drawworks, top drive and pumps matches what the used system expects. Automation layers such as NOV's NOVOS run on top of specific control system generations, so confirm support with the OEM before counting on an upgrade path.
Refurbishment and when used makes sense
An OEM upgrade typically replaces servers, screens and joystick modules, loads a current software release and repeats the site acceptance test. A complete used system suits a sister rig with the same machine set. On a different rig, plan for I/O remapping, ZMS reconfiguration and full recommissioning. Unused surplus from a cancelled newbuild is attractive when its generation matches what your OEM service team already supports.
Related equipment
Single screens and local stations are under control panels and HMI, and controller spares under automation systems. Naventr can pass your questions on software release and licence terms to the Seller before you commit.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a used drilling control system be installed on another rig?
Yes, with OEM engineering, a licence transfer and full recommissioning. The application maps I/O, zone management and screens to one machine set, so each change in machines means remapping and retesting. On a classed unit, class reviews the modified software before the rig drills.
What is zone management on a drill floor?
Zone management is the control logic that stops drill floor machines from colliding. It tracks the position of the travelling block, pipe handler, racker and iron roughneck, and blocks any movement into space another machine occupies. Test it with every machine combination after installation or software changes.
What is the difference between a drilling control system and drilling automation software?
The control system runs each machine, and automation software sequences them. A process automation layer such as NOVOS or SmartROS issues sequences like tagging bottom or making a connection through the existing machine controls, so it depends on a compatible control system generation underneath.
What should I ask for when buying a used driller's cabin?
Ask for the software release, a configuration backup, the licence and its transfer terms, the cabin's pressurisation and Ex certificates, and the last acceptance test of emergency stops and zone management. Fault logs from the last rig show how hard the electronics worked.
Does class need to approve a replacement drilling control system?
Yes, on a unit with a drilling plant notation, class reviews and witnesses tests of replacement control systems. DNV-OS-E101 and the ABS CDS Guide both cover the control of drilling machinery, so send class the design documents and test programme before installation.
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