Aker Solutions in 2011 opened a new drilling equipment test facility in Erkelenz, Germany.
The new test rig enables us to do more testing of new products at our site in Germany, where we manufacture Wirth mud pumps and drawworks for drilling rigs. The test rig offers an unrivalled capacity of up to 500t for dynamic load operations.
This means the time spent on commissioning at the yard is shortened by several weeks, which again reduces risk and cost for our customers and us.
The site was officially opened in Erkelenz, near Dusseldorf, on 9 June by Thor Arne Håverstad, executive vice president and head of Aker Solutions’ drilling technologies business.
The test rig is a 51m tall derrick, which is placed above a 53m deep well, with 2.5m diameter casing. This way, several weights can be added – 20 are available on site, each of 25t – to run the length of a triple stand.
In this video report, Jochen Kueppers, engineering manager in Erkelenz, explains how the test rig works and how it helps Aker Solitions in reducing risk and cost for our customers.