Derrick Rope Inspections

Note the following potential causes of rope damage and avoid them during operations:

• Reduction of rope diameter below nominal diameter due to loss of core support, internal or external corrosion, or wear of outside wires
• Broken outside wires and the degree of distribution or concentration of such broken wires
• Worn outside wires
• Corroded or broken wires at end connections
• Corroded, cracked, bent, worn, or improperly applied end connections
• Severe kinking, crushing, cutting, or unstranding
• Heavy wear and/or broken wires may occur in sections in contact with equalizer sheaves or other sheaves where rope travel is limited, or with saddles. Particular care must be taken to inspect ropes at these locations.
• All rope that has been idle for a period of a month or more due to shut down or storage of a derrick on which it is installed must be given a thorough inspection before it is used. This inspection must be for all types of deterioration. A certification record must be prepared and kept readily available, which includes the date of inspection, the signature of the person who performed the inspection, and an identifier for the ropes which were inspected.
• Particular care must be taken in the inspection of non-rotating rope.

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