PNG 450 Drilling Rigs, Steps,

and System
Read ADE 1, PP 21

Drilling Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Engineer

www.conservation.ca.gov accessed 2015

Oil and Gas Drilling in the Los Angeles Area Then and
Now

Signal Hill oil field at Atlantic and 28th Streets, circa 1930. Courtesy of the Long Beach
Public Library Collection
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www.conservation.ca.gov accessed 2015

A drilling rig at the urban drill site in Los Angeles operated by

Stocker Resources. Photo by J. Jepson.

Rig Counts
Rig count tracks industry-wide rigs engaged in
drilling and related operations, which include
drilling, logging, cementing, coring, well testing,
fishing, waiting on weather, running casing, and
blowout preventer (BOP) testing.
The petroleum industry has used rig counts to
guage the health of the industry a climbing rig
counts pointed to a better time ahead. It is also a
measurement of the industrys confidence in its
future.
We work in a industry that relies on the drilling rig.
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Unconventional Reservoirs

Holditch, 2005

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Industrial Activities
Woodford Shale Gas
Madison 1H-15W the well had a lateral length of
9,983 feet and was completed with 20 fracture
stimulation stages. The well had initial production of
13.5 MMcf/d with about 25% of the frac load
recovered.
Martin 1H-15E - the well had a lateral length of 9,405
feet and was completed with 19 fracture stimulation
stages. The well had initial production of 13.5
MMcf/d with about 15% of the frac load recovered.
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 To date, drilled >300 horizontal wells with total gross

production of 323 MMcfe/d (184 MMcfe/d net) .
In 2009, the average lateral length completed was
approximately 5,000 feet, about twice the average in
2006-07.
For 2010, Newfield estimates that its average lateral
completion in the Woodford Shale will be 6,000 - 7,000
feet, with D&C cost of $7 - $8 million.
In 2010, plan to run 6 9 operated rigs in the Arkoma
Basin;
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Steps in Drilling

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Summary
We need a rig to drill wells worldwide,
then and now, on land and offshore, on
earth or on Mars.
Rig counts may be used to gauge the
health and confidence of the industry.
Resources are down there, not out any
time soon.
More challenging to recover
economically.
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Question
Unconventional resources could not be
found in shallow (less than 3,000 ft)
formations since these formations
were explored for decades by now.
A. Yes
B. No
C. Can not be determined

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Question
Steps in well drilling do not include
To obtain well permit
To conduct geological and
geophysical studies
To modify drilling program during
drilling
To build drilling equipment

Rig classification, organization, and

system

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Fig. 1.5
Classification of
rotary drilling
rigs

Noble
Drillings
Cecil
Forbes
A JackUp Rig

Sonats
George
Washington

A SemiSubmersible
Rig

Zapatas
Trader
A
Drillship

TENSION LEG PLATFORM

Shells
Auger
Tension
Leg
Platform

Shells
Bullwinkle
Worlds tallest
offshore
structure
1,353 water
depth
Production
began in 1989
45,000 b/d
80MM scf/d

Fig. 1.3 - Typical drilling rig organization

Drilling Rig System 6

Components

Fig. 1.4
The
rotary
drilling
process

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Drilling Rigs
Whether the rigs are offshore or onshore, they
have the same basic structure and use the same
equipment.
The purpose of the rotary rig is to drill a hole to a
predetermined depth. Hopefully, pass through
several oil and gas bearing formations.
Drilling fluids are pumped through the drill pipe
to the bit and then back up to surface.
The drilling fluid is mixed, usually with water with
chemicals, in a chemical tank, then pulled from
the mud pit, pumped from a stand pipe and
rotary hose to a swivel that is attached to a kelly,
which is itself attached to the drill pipe.

Criteria for determining depth

limitation

Derrick
Drawworks
Mud Pumps
Drillstring
Mud System
Blowout Preventer
Power Plant

Question
To select power system of a drilling rig,
one needs to consider
Weight of the drill string
Types of drill bit
Types of formation
Weather

Making
a
Connection

Making
a
Trip

Making a mouse hole connection

Moving Kelly
to Single in
Mousehole
Stabbing
the Pipe

Single
Added.
Ready to
Drill

Making a mouse hole connection - contd

Making a trip
Why
trip?

Put Kelly in
Rathole

Use
Elevators
for
tripping

Tripping
one stand
at a time
60-90 ft

Making a trip - contd

Fig. 1.13
Engine
power
output

Power = Ang.Vel. * Torque

Angular velocity

P=F.V
Engine speed

Power = Force * Velocity

TABLE 1.1 - HEATING VALUE

OF VARIOUS FUELS
Fuel
Type

diesel
gasoline
butane
methane

Density
(lbm/gal)

7.2
6.6
4.7
---

Heating Value
(Btu/lbm)

19,000
20,000
21,000
24,000

Example 1.1. A diesel engine gives an output

torque of 1,740 ft-lbf at an engine speed of 1,200
rpm. If the fuel consumption rate was 31.5 gal/hr,
what is the output power and overall efficiency of
the engine?

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Example 1.1
(no friction)

Need to run 10,000 ft of 9 5/8-inch,

N80, 40 lbm/ft casing to complete a
vertical oil well. Since this will be the
heaviest casing string run, the
maximum mast load must be
calculated. Assuming that 10 lines
run between the crown and the
traveling blocks and neglecting
buoyancy effects, calculate the
maximum load.

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Question
With more strings between the blocks,
the derrick load could be less than the
weight of the drill string during a trip.
A. Yes
B. No
C. Unknown

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A Rotary Rig
Hoisting System

Fig. 1.17
Projection of Drilling
Lines on Rig Floor
E = overall efficiency
When there is no friction,
E = 1.00

TOTAL

Load on Derrick
(considering friction in sheaves)
Derrick Load = Hook Load
+ Fast Line Load
+ Dead Line Load
Fd = W + Ff + Fs
Fd

W
W
1 E En
W

=
W

En
n
En
E = overall efficiency, e.g., E = en = 0.98n
e = individual sheave efficiency
n = number of lines

Example 1.2
A rig must hoist a load of 300,000 lbf. The
drawworks can provide an input power to the
block and tackle system as high as 500 hp.
Eight lines are strung between the crown block
and traveling block. Calculate
1. The static tension in the fast line
when upward motion is impending,
2. the maximum hook horsepower
available,

Example 1.2, cont.

3. the maximum hoisting speed,
4. the actual derrick load

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