What is a Top Drive?

A top drive is a device that rotates a rig's drillstring.

What does it consist of?

It consists of one or more motors (electric or hydraulic) connected by gearing to a short section of pipe, the quill, screwed into a saver sub or the drillstring. The top drive is suspended from the hook or blocks, so the rotary mechanism is free to travel up and down the derrick.

What makes a Top Drive special?

A Top Drive is very different from the more conventional rotary table and kelly method of turning the drillstring. The Top Drive enables drilling with two or three joint stands instead of single joints of pipe.

What else does a Top Drive do?

It also enables the driller to quickly engage/disengage pumps or the rotary while tripping pipe. The newest Top Drives, like TD Equipment's IntegraLine 150iH, increase our ability to drill difficult extended-reach well bores. And the Top Drive greatly reduces frequency of stuck pipe, which is costly.

Situations where using a modern Top Drive is suggested:

Employee Safety
Rigs that perform Reverse Circulating
Sites with Performance Drilling and Underbalanced Drilling
Sites for Vertical/Directional Drilling
Projects requiring Horizontal Drilling
Setups designed for SAGD Drilling
Operations that include Pad Drilling
Rigs set up for Geothermal Drilling

Benefits every Top Drive like IntegraLine 150iH should provide:

Improved Well Control Response
Greater Directional Control
Improved Pipe Handling and Safety
Simplified Tool Face Orientation
Reduced Connection and Disconnection Times and Costs
Increased Drilling Increments
Increased Core Lengths
Reductions in Pipe Damage frequency /Cost of Stuck Pipes
Quicker engagement of Pumps
Ability to employ either Rig or Top Drive Power Units
Heightened Coring Performance
Reduced Reaming and Circulation time