A well-maintained hydraulic system is essential to keeping your drilling rig running efficiently today and for years to come. It is far more productive to prevent breakdowns through regular maintenance than to deal with the downtime and increased cost associated with hydraulic system failures. The emphasis should therefore be on proactive, rather than reactive, maintenance.
An important step in proactive preventative maintenance is to have a clear understanding of the equipment’s operating conditions. No hard and fast rules can be established here because of the great variety of circumstances. However, one thing is for certain: Frequent maintenance will increase the life of the system. Some important considerations: How many hours is the rig operating per day and per week? What percentage of time is it operating at maximum flow and pressure? Is the environment extremely hot, cold, contaminated with dust and debris, etc.? This information will help you to follow the equipment manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines while tweaking those recommendations to your specific operating conditions. It is good practice to develop your own maintenance program that can be followed by all personnel. Make it specific and clear, and take good notes regarding what maintenance was performed and when. Have the required tools and parts easily accessible.