Kelly Tube

A kelly tube is a piece of drilling equipment. In particular, it refers to a device used in the extraction of liquid or semi-liquid resources such as oil and natural gas. The main purpose of a kelly tube is to allow the drilling battery to be raised and lowered at the same time as the drum fluid is pumped through it. This is important, as drilling fluid is essential for the extraction process.

In most cases, a kelly tube is classified as a large diameter tube. This means that the inside diameter is usually between 3 and 5 inches (about 7.6 cm and 12.7 centimeters). This wide diameter allows flow rate and reduces the probability of a block occurring in the tube.

The kelly tube must also be able to withstand large amounts of pressure. This is especially true for the pressure of the fluid flowing through the tube. For this reason, it is often made of very durable material and is generally reinforced with steel.

In a drilling or perforating tower, the kelly tube connects the pipe, which is the rigid metal shaft carrying the mining fluid to the rotating part, which is the piece supporting the weight and commands the rotation of the drilling battery. Its purpose is to provide a flexible drilling fluid conduit as a rigid conduit would be able to move with the rotation and therefore prevent the drum battery movement and, subsequently, the bit.

Drilling fluid, sometimes referred to as drilling mud, carried by a kelly tube is essential for operations in several ways. It keeps the cold a little, which helps to reduce friction and failure. It also cleans the bit and removes drilling debris so that it can not damage the drill unit. Some varieties are used for additional purposes, such as corrosion and hydrostatic pressure. Drilling fluid is not necessarily fluid, but can be a solid, liquid, gas or other combined form.

The kelly tube is so called because its connection to kelly, the actual mechanical piece that expels the drilling fluid on the drill. Alternatively it can be called a mud tube or rotary tube. Failure may occur, despite the robust construction of the tube. This failure can cause damage to the rig or failure. Unsuccessful kelly tubes must be repaired or replaced before extraction operations can safely and effectively resume.