Operating Characteristics and Requirements of Drawworks Brake Equipment

In this paper an analysis is made of the operating characteristics, capacity, and limitations of the mechanical friction brakes and of the hydraulic and electric types of supplemental dynamic brakes used on drawworks. Consideration is then given to the relative advantages and disadvantages of various methods of drawworks operation while running in the drill pipe. The speed-load characteristics of the drawworks, for a preferred method of operation, are then compared with the speed-capacity characteristics of the several available brake systems. Consideration is also given to the requirements of the driving means for supplemental dynamic brakes.