Apparatus and method for monitoring a power swivel system

An apparatus for monitoring a power swivel system, said apparatus comprising:

• a smart box means associated with a power swivel system comprising a power swivel unit in hydraulic fluid communication with a hydraulic pump system being driven by a motor associated with an electronic control module (ECM), said smart box means configured for collecting, formatting, storing and transmitting power swivel system data and warnings to a remote device;
• a plurality of sensors for generating power swivel system data wherein each sensor is electrically associated with said processing device and wherein said plurality of sensors include:
• a. a rotation sensor associated with rotating elements defined by said power swivel unit wherein said rotation sensor is configured for generating rotation data for said rotating elements;
• b. a torque sensor associated with said power swivel system wherein said torque sensor is configured for generating torque data for said rotating elements;
• c. a hydraulic pressure sensor associated with said hydraulic pump system wherein said hydraulic pressure sensor is configured to generate hydraulic fluid pressure data for said hydraulic pump system;
• d. a temperature sensor associated with said hydraulic fluid wherein said temperature sensor is configured for generating hydraulic fluid temperature data;
• and
• e. a location sensor associated with said power swivel system wherein said location sensor is configured to generate location data for said power swivel system;
• and
• wherein one of said remote device or said smart box means is configured to evaluate said power swivel system data to determine when to generate power swivel system warnings.

A method for monitoring the components of a power swivel system comprising a power swivel unit in hydraulic fluid communication with a hydraulic pump system being driven by a motor associated with an electronic control module (ECM), said method comprising:

• associating a smart box with a power swivel system wherein said smart box comprises a processing device electrically associated with a memory, a display device and communication technology;
• associating a rotation sensor with said processing device and rotating elements defined by said power swivel unit wherein said rotation sensor is configured for generating rotation data for said rotating elements;
• associating a hydraulic pressure sensor with said processing device and said hydraulic pump system wherein said hydraulic pressure sensor is configured to generate hydraulic fluid pressure data for said hydraulic pump system;
• associating a location sensor with said processing device and said power swivel system wherein said location sensor is configured to generate location data for said power swivel system;
• configuring said processing device for at least one of collecting, formatting, storing or transmitting power swivel system data comprising said rotation data, said hydraulic fluid pressure data and said location data;
• storing threshold data in said memory;
• configuring said processing device to use said communication technology to transfer at least part of said power swivel system data and at least part of said threshold data to a remote device;
• configuring one of said processing device or said remote device to cause said display device or a remote device to generate and display a user interface wherein said user interface presents processed or unprocessed power swivel system data and threshold data;
• and
• configuring one of said processing device or said remote device to evaluate said power swivel system data using said threshold data to determine when a warning should be generated.