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Showing posts with label Offshore drilling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Offshore drilling. Show all posts

Monday, December 20, 2010

Offshore Brazil


The discovery of the nation's Tupi oil field in 2006, which Brazil's national petroleum agency (ANP) estimated could hold 8bn barrels of oil, could already have been surpassed by the announcement in October of a new field, dubbed Libra, which could hold up to 15bn barrels of oil.

In the space of a couple of decades these finds and others could catapult Brazil up the league of global oil producers to feature the nation prominently in the top ten.

ANP is erring on the side of caution however with Libra, saying "The volume of recoverable oil belonging to the nation could vary from 3.7bn to 15bn barrels, with the most likely estimate being 7.9bn barrels." The test well has yet to be completed and there is seemingly a lot of wriggle room in the estimates, nonetheless, Brazil's recoverable oil reserves are going to be around the 15bn barrels mark and possibly much, much more.

Deepwater drilling is the name of the game here and that requires the implementation of lessons learned from the Gulf of Mexico spill and also a large amount of local infrastructure and offshore manufacturing capacity.

Boom town

"Nonetheless, Brazil has been in the oil industry's sights for some time."Brazil's newly elected president, Dilma Rousseff, potentially has an oil boom town situation on her hands, which can create problems if it is not managed carefully.

Nonetheless, Brazil has been in the oil industry's sights for some time and companies have already set up shop in offshore manufacturing. More will likely come, especially with Brazilian contracts requiring a major input of local content.

BP has already built a presence in Brazil and expects the trend to follow, according to new BP CEO Robert Dudley. While undoubtedly, manufacturing for offshore projects will still take place away from Brazil in centres such as Houston and Singapore and the shipbuilding yards in China and South Korea, increasingly there is a drive towards a Brazilian home based industry. With big deals such as the $7.1bn alliance between Sinopec and Repsol in October 2010, this is surely a question of when and not if.

Doing business in another country can be fraught with difficulties, however, as a company navigates the learning curves of regulations and the customs and practices of doing business that the locals probably know inside out. There are shortcuts to circumnavigate these areas such as, partnerships, joint ventures or even outright acquisitions, which appear to be occurring already.

"The FPSO was upgraded at Keppel's shipyard in Singapore and completed in Brazil."Wellstream International, for instance, set up shop in 2007 at its Niteroi manufacturing facility in Brazil. The Newcastle-based company is the world's biggest manufacturer of flexible pipes that are used by energy companies in deep water. GE is in the market to acquire Wellstream and reportedly had a bid of around $1.2bn rejected in November 2010.

It is not known if a higher bid will be forthcoming from GE. However, media reports have indicated that other suitors could well be in the frame for Wellstream.

The oil rush

In October 2010, conforming to its turnkey supply contract between SBM and Petrobras Netherlands B.V (Petrobras) for the Jubarte field, offshore Espirito Santo to fulfil the local content to 68 per cent, Keppel Offshore and Marine (Keppel) delivered the P-57 Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to SBM early and within budget.

The FPSO was upgraded and converted at Keppel's shipyard in Singapore and completed in Brazil at the company's BrasFELS yard in Angra dos Reis; it is set to be deployed in 2010 and will have a production capacity of 180,000 barrels of heavy oil per day (bopd).

Keppel has now converted 12 FPSO's for the Brazilian offshore industry and is also set to move more of its production from Singapore to Brazil. "We have been equipping our yards and training our workers to take on more sophisticated jobs over the years, transferring expertise, technology and systems from our Singapore yards to Brazil in the process," said Choo Chiau Beng, chairman of Keppel and non-resident Ambassador of Singapore to Brazil.

"As a result, our BrasFELS yard is today the most comprehensive offshore and marine facility in Latin America, and has been able to help to meet Brazil's requirements for greater local content," said Choo. "Our operations in the country will soon be augmented by our newest addition, the Keppel Singmarine Brasil shipyard in Santa Catarina, by the first half of 2011."

Digging together

"This arrangement with Brastec offers the perfect opportunity to overcome all these challenges."Joint ventures and partnerships are another way to hit the ground running in Brazil's offshore manufacturing industry. During the last quarter of 2009, Express Engineering, a leading sub-contract manufacturing company in the UK, linked up in a joint venture with offshore engineering manufacturing specialist, Brastec Technologies (Brastec) to form Petrotec Components de Precisão Ltda. (Petrotec). The new venture is already targeting business in oil, gas, aerospace and defence.

"We have been looking to establish a specialist manufacturing capacity in Brazil for some time but the challenges posed by language, culture and distance are considerable," said Express Engineering's managing director, Nigel Davison.

"This arrangement with Brastec offers the perfect opportunity to overcome all these challenges." Maurice Russel is Brastec's director of business development and R&D, "There is a very big market in South America and our clients asked us to look at trying to supply them with more value added components," said Russel.

"Our clients are already working in Europe with Express Engineering and they said why don't good companies that we are already working with on different areas get together and help us?" Brazilian contracts have a heavy percentage of local content requirements to stimulate companies to go to Brazil and it would appear that major energy companies may be encouraging a shift too. "The big problem with international companies," said Russel, "is knowing the country, knowing all the extremely difficult fiscal regulations and culture; being a Brazilian company we can help them with that."

The lessons to be taken on board by companies wishing to establish an offshore manufacturing unit in Brazil seems to be that to get that local content and therefore a chance of a contract then the local knowledge and expertise must be working for you and with you. It is little wonder that there is so much activity in the sector and that should continue in the upward direction until the demand by the major energy companies is met.


http://www.offshore-technology.com

Friday, September 10, 2010

Analysis: Norway Oil Production Falls, Gas Production Rises

Norway oil production has declined over the past 10 years from 3.1 million b/d in 1999 to 2.3 million b/d in 2009, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2010. This decline can be attributed to the maturation of existing large oil fields offshore Norway. Norway's proved oil reserves also have declined from 10.9 billion barrels in 1999 to 7.5 billion in 2008.
Norway Oil Production 1999-2009
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) said that Norway has been unable to offset the production decline from existing fields with resources produced from new discoveries, and that "determined efforts are needed now to stem annual declines in production," said Norway Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Riis-Johansen. These efforts include more exploratory and development well drilling and enhanced oil recovery.
NPD estimates that oil production for 2010 will be somewhat lower than in 2008 at 108.7 million Sm3 or 1.87 Mb/d. From 2010 through 2014, oil production is expected total 491 million Sm3, or 160 million Sm3 less than the preceding five-year period.
Norway Gas Production 1999-2009
However, Norwegian natural gas production has flourished in the past 10 years, thanks to field such as Ormen Lange and Snohvit, which has increased Norwegian gas exports. Norwegian gas production has grown from 48.5 billion cubic meters in 1999 to 103.5 billion cubic meters last year, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2010. Norway's proved natural gas reserves also grew from 1.25 Tcm in 1999 to 2.22 Tcm in 2008.
Ormen Lange
Natural gas production has risen as oil and gas companies moved northward into underexplored areas as additional exploration acreage has been gradually opened; these underexplored areas contain large gas reserves. As a result, a number of gas fields have been developed and a comprehensive gas transport infrastructure has been established, making it possible to develop additional gas resources. Gas production is expected to grow from an estimated 105 billion Sm3 this year to 112.2 billion Sm3 in 2014.
NPD estimates that only 40 percent, or 5.3 billion standard cubic meters of oil equivalent (scm o.e.), of petroleum resources on the Norwegian shelf has been produced. Total remaining recoverable resources is estimated at 8.1 billion scm o.e., including 4.8 billion scm o.e. of proven resources and undiscovered resources of 3.3 billion scm o.e. NPD estimates that 35 percent of undiscovered resources lies in the North Sea, 35 percent in the Norwegian Sea and 30 percent in the Barents Sea.
Barents Sea
NPD has set a goal of reserves growth on the Norwegian Continental Shelf of 800 million scm of oil before 2015. To meet this goal, NPD said Norway must increase recovery from producing fields, develop discoveries in the vicinity of existing infrastructure, drill more development wells and operate fields in a more cost-efficient manner.
Norwegian Continental Shelf
Field maintenance also has impacted Norway's oil and gas production in recent months. NPD reported that average daily production in June 2010 was about 1.87 million barrels of oil, natural gas liquids and condensate, 324,000 b/d less than in May 2010. Gas production was about 8.5 billion Sm3, or .5 billion Sm3 less than in the previous month.
NPD attributed the lower production to closures of the fields in the Ekofisk area for planned maintenance, while the Vale field was closed due to technical problems. Heidrun also was closed June 1 through June 26 due to maintenance, while Gullfaks C was closed due to well problems

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Offshore Drilling

Drilling for natural gas offshore, in some instances hundreds of miles away from the nearest landmass, poses a number of different challenges over drilling onshore. The actual drilling mechanism used to delve into the sea floor is much the same as can be found on an onshore rig. However, with drilling at sea, the sea floor can sometimes be thousands of feet below sea level. Therefore, while with onshore drilling the ground provides a platform from which to drill, at sea an artificial drilling platform must be constructed.
Source: ChevronTexaco Corporation
Drilling offshore dates back as early as 1869, when one of the first patents was granted to T.F. Rowland for his offshore drilling rig design. This rig was designed to operate in very shallow water, but the anchored four legged tower bears much resemblance to modern offshore rigs. It wasn't until after World War II that the first offshore well, completely out of sight from land, was drilled in the Gulf of Mexico in 1947. Since then, offshore production, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico, has been very successful, with the discovery and delivery of a great number of large oil and gas deposits.

The Drilling Template
Since the land that is going to be drilled through cannot provide a base for offshore drilling as it does for onshore drilling, an artificial platform must be created. This artificial platform can take many forms, depending on the characteristics of the well to be drilled, including how far underwater the drilling target is. One of the most important pieces of equipment for offshore drilling is the subsea drilling template. Essentially, this piece of equipment connects the underwater well site to the drilling platform on the surface of the water. This device, resembling a cookie cutter, consists of an open steel box with multiple holes in it, dependent on the number of wells to be drilled. This drilling template is placed over the well site, usually lowered into the exact position required using satellite and GPS technology. A relatively shallow hole is then dug, in which the drilling template is cemented into place. The drilling template, secured to the sea floor and attached to the drilling platform above with cables, allows for accurate drilling to take place, but allows for the movement of the platform above, which will inevitably be affected by shifting wind and water currents.
In addition to the drilling template, a blowout preventer is installed on the sea floor. This system, much the same as that used in onshore drilling, prevents any oil or gas from seeping out into the water. Above the blowout preventer, a specialized system known as a 'marine riser' extends from the sea floor to the drilling platform above. The marine riser is designed to house the drill bit and drillstring, and yet be flexible enough to deal with the movement of the drilling platform. Strategically placed slip and ball joints in the marine riser allow the subsea well to be unaffected by the pitching and rolling of the drilling platform.
Moveable Offshore Drilling Rigs
There are two basic types of offshore drilling rigs: those that can be moved from place to place, allowing for drilling in multiple locations, and those rigs that are permanently placed. Moveable rigs are often used for exploratory purposes because they are much cheaper to use than permanent platforms. Once large deposits of hydrocarbons have been found, a permanent platform is built to allow their extraction. The sections below describe a number of different types of moveable offshore platforms.
A Drilling Barge
Source: California Department of Transportation
Drilling Barges
Drilling barges are used mostly for inland, shallow water drilling. This typically takes place in lakes, swamps, rivers, and canals. Drilling barges are large, floating platforms, which must be towed by tugboat from location to location. Suitable for still, shallow waters, drilling barges are not able to withstand the water movement experienced in large open water situations.
Jack-Up Rigs
A Jack-Up Rig
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Jack-up rigs are similar to drilling barges, with one difference. Once a jack-up rig is towed to the drilling site, three or four 'legs' are lowered until they rest on the sea bottom. This allows the working platform to rest above the surface of the water, as opposed to a floating barge. However, jack-up rigs are suitable for shallower waters, as extending these legs down too deeply would be impractical. These rigs are typically safer to operate than drilling barges, as their working platform is elevated above the water level.
Submersible Rigs
Submersible rigs, also suitable for shallow water, are like jack-up rigs in that they come in contact with the ocean or lake floor. These rigs consist of platforms with two hulls positioned on top of one another. The upper hull contains the living quarters for the crew, as well as the actual drilling platform. The lower hull works much like the outer hull in a submarine - when the platform is being moved from one place to another, the lower hull is filled with air - making the entire rig buoyant. When the rig is positioned over the drill site, the air is let out of the lower hull, and the rig submerses to the sea or lake floor. This type of rig has the advantage of mobility in the water, however once again its use is limited to shallow water areas.
A Semisubmersible Rig
Source: Department of the Interior
Semisubmersible Rigs
Semisubmersible rigs are the most common type of offshore drilling rigs, combining the advantages of submersible rigs with the ability to drill in deep water. Semisubmersible rigs work on the same principle as submersible rigs; through the 'inflating' and 'deflating' of its lower hull. The main difference with a semisubmersible rig, however, is that when the air is let out of the lower hull, the rig does not submerge to the sea floor. Instead, the rig is partially submerged, but still floats above the drill site. When drilling, the lower hull, filled with water, provides stability to the rig. Semisubmersible rigs are held in place by huge anchors, each weighing upwards of ten tons. These anchors, combined with the submerged portion of the rig, ensure that the platform is stable and safe enough to be used in turbulent offshore waters. Semisubmersible rigs can be used to drill in much deeper water than the rigs mentioned above.

A Drillship in the Beaufort Sea
Source: Mining and Minerals Service
Drillships
Drillships are exactly as they sound: ships designed to carry out drilling operations. These boats are specially designed to carry drilling platforms out to deep-sea locations. A typical drillship will have, in addition to all of the equipment normally found on a large ocean ship, a drilling platform and derrick located on the middle of its deck. In addition, drillships contain a hole (or 'moonpool'), extending right through the ship down through the hull, which allow for the drill string to extend through the boat, down into the water. Drillships are often used to drill in very deep water, which can often be quite turbulent. Drillships use what is known as 'dynamic positioning' systems. Drillships are equipped with electric motors on the underside of the ships hull, capable of propelling the ship in any direction. These motors are integrated into the ships computer system, which uses satellite positioning technology, in conjunction with sensors located on the drilling template, to ensure that the ship is directly above the drill site at all times.
Offshore Drilling and Production Platforms
An Offshore Platform
Source: Duke Energy Gas Transmission Canada
As mentioned, moveable rigs are commonly used to drill exploratory wells. In some instances, when exploratory wells find commercially viable natural gas or petroleum deposits, it is economical to build a permanent platform from which well completion, extraction, and production can occur. These large, permanent platforms are extremely expensive, however, and generally require large expected hydrocarbon deposits to be economical to construct. Some of the largest offshore platforms are located in the North Sea, where because of almost constant inclement weather, structures able to withstand high winds and large waves are necessary. A typical permanent platform in the North Sea must be able to withstand wind speeds of over 90 knots, and waves over 60 feet high. Correspondingly, these platforms are among the largest structures built by man. There are a number of different types of permanent offshore platforms, each useful for a particular depth range.
This depiction of offshore drilling and completion platforms gives an idea of just how massive these offshore rigs can be. For reference, the fixed platform (the shallowest shown) is usually in no more than 1,500 feet of water - whereas the height of the Hoover Dam, from top to bottom, is less than half that, at just under 730 feet. Because of their size, most permanent offshore rigs are constructed near land, in pieces. As the components of the rig are completed, they are taken out to the drilling location. Sometimes construction or assembly can even take place as the rig is being transported to its intended destination.
Offshore Drilling Platforms
Source: MMS
Fixed Platforms
In certain instances, in shallower water, it is possible to physically attach a platform to the sea floor. This is what is shown above as a fixed platform rig. The 'legs' are constructed with concrete or steel, extending down from the platform, and fixed to the seafloor with piles. With some concrete structures, the weight of the legs and seafloor platform is so great, that they do not have to be physically attached to the seafloor, but instead simply rest on their own mass. There are many possible designs for these fixed, permanent platforms. The main advantages of these types of platforms are their stability, as they are attached to the sea floor there is limited exposure to movement due to wind and water forces. However, these platforms cannot be used in extremely deep water, it simply is not economical to build legs that long.
Compliant Towers
Compliant towers are much like fixed platforms. They consist of a narrow tower, attached to a foundation on the seafloor and extending up to the platform. This tower is flexible, as opposed to the relatively rigid legs of a fixed platform. This flexibility allows it to operate in much deeper water, as it can 'absorb' much of the pressure exerted on it by the wind and sea. Despite its flexibility, the compliant tower system is strong enough to withstand hurricane conditions. To learn more about compliant tower platforms, click here.
Seastar Platforms
Seastar platforms are like miniature tension leg platforms. The platform consists of a floating rig, much like the semisubmersible type discussed above. A lower hull is filled with water when drilling, which increases the stability of the platform against wind and water movement. In addition to this semisubmersible rig, however, Seastar platforms also incorporate the tension leg system employed in larger platforms. Tension legs are long, hollow tendons that extend from the seafloor to the floating platform. These legs are kept under constant tension, and do not allow for any up or down movement of the platform. However, their flexibility does allow for side-to-side motion, which allows the platform to withstand the force of the ocean and wind, without breaking the legs off. Seastar platforms are typically used for smaller deep-water reservoirs, when it is not economical to build a larger platform. They can operate in water depths of up to 3,500 feet. For an example of a Seastar platform in the Gulf of Mexico, click here.
A Floating Production System
Source: Minerals Management Service
Floating Production Systems
Floating production systems are essentially semisubmersible drilling rigs, as discussed above, except that they contain petroleum production equipment, as well as drilling equipment. Ships can also be used as floating production systems. The platforms can be kept in place through large, heavy anchors, or through the dynamic positioning system used by drillships. With a floating production system, once the drilling has been completed, the wellhead is actually attached to the seafloor, instead of up on the platform. The extracted petroleum is transported via risers from this wellhead to the production facilities on the semisubmersible platform. These production systems can operate in water depths of up to 6,000 feet.

A Tension Leg Platform
Source: Minerals Management Service
Tension Leg Platforms
Tension leg platforms are larger versions of the Seastar platform. The long, flexible legs are attached to the seafloor, and run up to the platform itself. As with the Seastar platform, these legs allow for significant side to side movement (up to 20 feet), with little vertical movement. Tension leg platforms can operate as deep as 7,000 feet.
Subsea System
Subsea production systems are wells located on the sea floor, as opposed to at the surface. Like in a floating production system, the petroleum is extracted at the seafloor, and then can be 'tied-back' to an already existing production platform. The well can be drilled by a moveable rig, and instead of building a production platform for that well, the extracted oil and natural gas can be transported by riser or even undersea pipeline to a nearby production platform. This allows one strategically placed production platform to service many wells over a reasonably large area. Subsea systems are typically in use at depths of 7,000 feet or more, and do not have the ability to drill, only to extract and transport.


Source

NaturalGas.org

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Oil well drilling







Drilling rig

A drilling rig is a machine which creates holes (usually called boreholes) and/or shafts in the ground. Drilling rigs can be massive structures housing equipment used to drill water wells, oil wells, or natural gas extraction wells, or they can be small enough to be moved manually by one person.[citation needed] They sample sub-surface mineral deposits, test rock, soil and groundwater physical properties, and also can be used to install sub-surface fabrications, such as underground utilities, instrumentation, tunnels or wells. Drilling rigs can be mobile equipment mounted on trucks, tracks or trailers, or more permanent land or marine-based structures (such as oil platforms, commonly called 'offshore oil rigs' even if they don't contain a drilling rig). The term "rig" therefore generally refers to the complex of equipment that is used to penetrate the surface of the Earth's crust.
Drilling rigs can be:
Small and portable, such as those used in mineral exploration drilling, water wells and environmental investigations.
Huge, capable of drilling through thousands of meters of the Earth's crust. Large "mud pumps" circulate drilling mud (slurry) through the drill bit and up the casing annulus, for cooling and removing the "cuttings" while a well is drilled. Hoists in the rig can lift hundreds of tons of pipe. Other equipment can force acid or sand into reservoirs to facilitate extraction of the oil or natural gas; and in remote locations there can be permanent living accommodation and catering for crews (which may be more than a hundred). Marine rigs may operate many hundreds of miles or kilometres distant from the supply base with infrequent crew rotation.
Petroleum drilling industry

Petroleum drilling rig. Capable of drilling thousands of feet

Modern Oil Driller La Pampa Argentina
"Oil and Natural Gas drilling rigs can be used not only to identify geologic reservoirs but also to create holes that allow the extraction of oil or natural gas from those reservoirs. Primarily in onshore oil and gas fields once a well has been drilled, the drilling rig will be moved off of the well and a service rig (a smaller rig) that is purpose-built for completions will be moved on to the well to get the well on line. This frees up the drilling rig to drill another hole and streamlines the operation as well as allowing for specialization of certain services, i.e., completions vs. drilling." Ref. (Innovative Energy Services (Katy, TX))
History

Antique drilling rig now on display at Western History Museum in Lingle, Wyoming. It was used to drill many water wells in that area—many of those wells are still in use.

Antique Drilling Rigs in Zigong, China
Until internal combustion engines came in the late 19th century, the main method for drilling rock was muscle power of man or animal. Rods were turned by hand, using clamps attached to the rod. The rope and drop method invented in Zigong, China used a steel rod or piston raised and dropped vertically via a rope. Mechanised versions of this persisted until about 1970, using a cam to rapidly raise and drop what, by then, was a steel cable.
In the 1970s, outside of the oil and gas industry, roller bits using mud circulation were replaced by the first efficient pneumatic reciprocating piston Reverse Circulation RC drills, and became essentially obsolete for most shallow drilling, and are now only used in certain situations where rocks preclude other methods. RC drilling proved much faster and more efficient, and continues to improve with better metallurgy, deriving harder, more durable bits, and compressors delivering higher air pressures at higher volumes, enabling deeper and faster penetration. Diamond drilling has remained essentially unchanged since its inception.
Mobile drilling rigs
In early oil exploration, drilling rigs were semi-permanent in nature and the derricks were often built on site and left in place after the completion of the well. In more recent times drilling rigs are expensive custom-built machines that can be moved from well to well. Some light duty drilling rigs are like a mobile crane and are more usually used to drill water wells. Larger land rigs must be broken apart into sections and loads to move to a new place, a process which can often take weeks.
Small mobile drilling rigs are also used to drill or bore piles. Rigs can range from 100 ton continuous flight auger (CFA) rigs to small air powered rigs used to drill holes in quarries, etc. These rigs use the same technology and equipment as the oil drilling rigs, just on a smaller scale.
The drilling mechanisms outlined below differ mechanically in terms of the machinery used, but also in terms of the method by which drill cuttings are removed from the cutting face of the drill and returned to surface.
Drilling rig classification
There are many types and designs of drilling rigs, with many drilling rigs capable of switching or combining different drilling technologies as needed. Drilling rigs can be described using any of the following attributes:
by power used
mechanical - the rig uses torque converters, clutches, and transmissions powered by its own engines, often diesel
electric - the major items of machinery are driven by electric motors, usually with power generated on-site using internal combustion engines
hydraulic - the rig primarily uses hydraulic power
pneumatic - the rig is primarily powered by pressurized air
steam - the rig uses steam-powered engines and pumps (obsolescent after middle of 20th Century)
by pipe used
cable - a cable is used to raise and drop the drill bit
conventional - uses metal or plastic drill pipe of varying types
coil tubing - uses a giant coil of tube and a downhole drilling motor
by height
single - can drill only single drill pipes. The presence or absence of vertical pipe racking "fingers" varies from rig to rig.
double - can hold a stand of pipe in the derrick consisting of two connected drill pipes, called a "double stand".
triple - can hold a stand of pipe in the derrick consisting of three connected drill pipes, called a "triple stand".
by method of rotation or drilling method
no rotation includes direct push rigs and most service rigs
rotary table - rotation is achieved by turning a square or hexagonal pipe (the kelly) at drill floor level.
top drive - rotation and circulation is done at the top of the drillstring, on a motor that moves in a track along the derrick.
sonic - uses primarily vibratory energy to advance the drill string
hammer - uses rotation and percussive force
by position of derrick
conventional - derrick is vertical
slant - derrick is slanted at a 45 degree angle to facilitate horizontal drilling
Drill types
There are a variety of drill mechanisms which can be used to sink a borehole into the ground. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, in terms of the depth to which it can drill, the type of sample returned, the costs involved and penetration rates achieved. There are two basic types of drills: drills which produce rock chips, and drills which produce core samples.
Auger drilling
Auger drilling is done with a helical screw which is driven into the ground with rotation; the earth is lifted up the borehole by the blade of the screw. Hollow stem Auger drilling is used for environmental drilling, geotechnical drilling, soil engineering and geochemistry reconnaissance work in exploration for mineral deposits. Solid flight augers/bucket augers are used in construction drilling. In some cases, mine shafts are dug with auger drills. Small augers can be mounted on the back of a utility truck, with large augers used for sinking piles for bridge foundations.
Auger drilling is restricted to generally soft unconsolidated material or weak weathered rock. It is cheap and fast.

Cable tool water well drilling rig in Kimball, West Virginia. These slow rigs have mostly been replaced by rotary drilling rigs in the U.S.
Percussion rotary air blast drilling (RAB)
RAB drilling is used most frequently in the mineral exploration industry. (This tool is also known as a Down-The-Hole Drill.) The drill uses a pneumatic reciprocating piston-driven 'hammer' to energetically drive a heavy drill bit into the rock. The drill bit is hollow, solid steel and has ~20 mm thick tungsten rods protruding from the steel matrix as 'buttons'. The tungsten buttons are the cutting face of the bit.
The cuttings are blown up the outside of the rods and collected at surface. Air or a combination of air and foam lift the cuttings.
RAB drilling is used primarily for mineral exploration, water bore drilling and blast-hole drilling in mines, as well as for other applications such as engineering, etc. RAB produces lower quality samples because the cuttings are blown up the outside of the rods and can be contaminated from contact with other rocks. RAB drilling at extreme depth, if it encounters water, may rapidly clog the outside of the hole with debris, precluding removal of drill cuttings from the hole.
This can be counteracted, however, with the use of 'stabilisers' also known as 'reamers', which are large cylindrical pieces of steel attached to the drill string, and made to perfectly fit the size of the hole being drilled. These have sets of rollers on the side, usually with tungsten buttons, that constantly break down cuttings being pushed upwards.
The use of high-powered air compressors, which push 900-1150cfm of air at 300-350psi down the hole also ensures drilling of a deeper hole up to ~1250m due to higher air pressure which pushes all rock cuttings and any water to the surface. This, of course, is all dependent on the density and weight of the rock being drilled, and on how worn the drill bit is.
Air core drilling
Air core drilling and related methods use hardened steel or tungsten blades to bore a hole into unconsolidated ground. The drill bit has three blades arranged around the bit head, which cut the unconsolidated ground. The rods are hollow and contain an inner tube which sits inside the hollow outer rod barrel. The drill cuttings are removed by injection of compressed air into the hole via the annular area between the innertube and the drill rod. The cuttings are then blown back to surface up the inner tube where they pass through the sample separating system and are collected if needed. Drilling continues with the addition of rods to the top of the drill string. Air core drilling can occasionally produce small chunks of cored rock.
This method of drilling is used to drill the weathered regolith, as the drill rig and steel or tungsten blades cannot penetrate fresh rock. Where possible, air core drilling is preferred over RAB drilling as it provides a more representative sample. Air core drilling can achieve depths approaching 300 meters in good conditions. As the cuttings are removed inside the rods and are less prone to contamination compared to conventional drilling where the cuttings pass to the surface via outside return between the outside of the drill rob and the walls of the hole. This method is more costly and slower than RAB.
Cable tool drilling

SpeedStar Cable Tool Drilling Rig, Ballston Spa, NY
Cable tool rigs are a traditional way of drilling water wells. The majority of large diameter water supply wells, especially deep wells completed in bedrock aquifers, were completed using this drilling method. Although this drilling method has largely been supplanted in recent years by other, faster drilling techniques, it is still the most practicable drilling method for large diameter, deep bedrock wells, and in widespread use for small rural water supply wells. The impact of the drill bit fractures the rock and in many shale rock situations increases the water flow into a well over rotary.
Also known as ballistic well drilling and sometimes called "spudders", these rigs raise and drop a drill string with a heavy carbide tipped drilling bit that chisels through the rock by finely pulverizing the subsurface materials. The drill string is composed of the upper drill rods, a set of "jars" (inter-locking "sliders" that help transmit additional energy to the drill bit and assist in removing the bit if it is stuck) and the drill bit. During the drilling process, the drill string is periodically removed from the borehole and a bailer is lowered to collect the drill cuttings (rock fragments, soil, etc.). The bailer is a bucket-like tool with a trapdoor in the base. If the borehole is dry, water is added so that the drill cuttings will flow into the bailer. When lifted, the bailer closes and the cuttings are then raised and removed. Since the drill string must be raised and lowered to advance the boring, casing (larger diameter outer piping) is typically used to hold back upper soil materials and stabilize the borehole.
Cable tool rigs are simpler and cheaper than similarly sized rotary rigs, although loud and very slow to operate. The world record cable tool well was drilled in New York to a depth of almost 12,000 feet. The common Bucyrus Erie 22 can drill down to about 1,100 feet. Since cable tool drilling does not use air to eject the drilling chips like a rotary, instead using a cable strung bailer, technically there is no limitation on depth.
Reverse circulation (RC) drilling

Reverse Circulation (RC) rig, outside Newman, Western Australia

Track mounted Reverse Circulation rig (side view).
RC drilling is similar to air core drilling, in that the drill cuttings are returned to surface inside the rods. The drilling mechanism is a pneumatic reciprocating piston known as a hammer driving a tungsten-steel drill bit. RC drilling utilises much larger rigs and machinery and depths of up to 500 metres are routinely achieved. RC drilling ideally produces dry rock chips, as large air compressors dry the rock out ahead of the advancing drill bit. RC drilling is slower and costlier but achieves better penetration than RAB or air core drilling; it is cheaper than diamond coring and is thus preferred for most mineral exploration work.
Reverse circulation is achieved by blowing air down the rods, the differential pressure creating air lift of the water and cuttings up the inner tube which is inside each rod. It reaches the bell at the top of the hole, then moves through a sample hose which is attached to the top of the cyclone. The drill cuttings travel around the inside of the cyclone until they fall through an opening at the bottom and are collected in a sample bag.
The most commonly used RC drill bits are 5-8 inches (12.7–20.32 cm) in diameter and have round metal 'buttons' that protrude from the bit, which are required to drill through shale and abrasive rock. As the buttons wear down, drilling becomes slower and the rod string can potentially become bogged in the hole. This is a problem as trying to recover the rods may take hours and in some cases weeks. The rods and drill bits themselves are very expensive, often resulting in great cost to drilling companies when equipment is lost down the bore hole. Most companies will regularly re-grind the buttons on their drill bits in order to prevent this, and to speed up progress. Usually, when something is lost (breaks off) in the hole, it is not the drill string, but rather from the bit, hammer, or stabiliser to the bottom of the drill string (bit). This is usually caused by a blunt bit getting stuck in fresh rock, over-stressed metal, or a fresh drill bit getting stuck in a part of the hole that is too small, owing to having used a bit that has worn to smaller than the desired hole diameter.
Although RC drilling is air-powered, water is also used, to reduce dust, keep the drill bit cool, and assist in pushing cutting back upwards, but also when collaring a new hole. A mud called liqui-pol is mixed with water and pumped into the rod string, down the hole. This helps to bring up the sample to the surface by making the sand stick together. Occasionally, 'super-foam' (AKA 'quik-foam') is also used, to bring all the very fine cuttings to the surface, and to clean the hole. When the drill reaches hard rock, a collar is put down the hole around the rods which is normally PVC piping. Occasionally the collar may be made from metal casing. Collaring a hole is needed to stop the walls from caving in and bogging the rod string at the top of the hole. Collars may be up to 60 metres deep, depending on the ground, although if drilling through hard rock a collar may not be necessary.
Reverse circulation rig setups usually consist of a support vehicle, an auxiliary vehicle, as well as the rig itself. The support vehicle, normally a truck, holds diesel and water tanks for resupplying the rig. It also holds other supplies needed for maintenance on the rig. The auxiliary is a vehicle, carrying an auxiliary engine and a booster engine. These engines are connected to the rig by high pressure air hoses. Although RC rigs have their own booster and compressor to generate air pressure, extra power is needed which usually isn't supplied by the rig due to lack of space for these large engines. Instead, the engines are mounted on the auxiliary vehicle. Compressors on an RC rig have an output of around 1000 cfm at 500 psi (500 L·s−1 at 3.4 MPa). Alternatively, stand-alone air compressors which have an output of 900-1150cfm at 300-350 psi each are used in sets of 2, 3, or 4, which are all routed to the rig through a multi-valve manifold.
Diamond core drilling

Multi-combination drilling rig (capable of both diamond and reverse circulation drilling). Rig is currently set up for diamond drilling.
Diamond core drilling (exploration diamond drilling) utilises an annular diamond-impregnated drill bit attached to the end of hollow drill rods to cut a cylindrical core of solid rock. The diamonds used are fine to microfine industrial grade diamonds. They are set within a matrix of varying hardness, from brass to high-grade steel. Matrix hardness, diamond size and dosing can be varied according to the rock which must be cut. Holes within the bit allow water to be delivered to the cutting face. This provides three essential functions; lubrication, cooling, and removal of drill cuttings from the hole.
Diamond drilling is much slower than reverse circulation (RC) drilling due to the hardness of the ground being drilled. Drilling of 1200 to 1800 metres is common and at these depths, ground is mainly hard rock. Diamond rigs need to drill slowly to lengthen the life of drill bits and rods, which are very expensive.
Core samples are retrieved via the use of a lifter tube, a hollow tube lowered inside the rod string by a winch cable until it stops inside the core barrel. As the core is drilled, the core lifter slides over the core as it is cut. An overshot attached to the end of the winch cable is lowered inside the rod string and locks on to the backend, located on the top end of the lifter tube. The winch is retracted, pulling the lifter tube to the surface. The core does not drop out the inside of the lifter tube when lifted because a "core lifter spring," located at the bottom of the tube allows the core to move inside the tube but not fall out.

Diamond core drill bits
Once a rod is removed from the hole, the core sample is then removed from the rod and catalogued. The Driller's offsider screws the rod apart using tube clamps, then each part of the rod is taken and the core is shaken out into core trays. The core is washed, measured and broken into smaller pieces using a hammer or sawn through to make it fit into the sample trays. Once catalogued, the core trays are retrieved by geologists who then analyse the core and determine if the drill site is a good location to expand future mining operations.
Diamond rigs can also be part of a multi-combination rig. Multi-combination rigs are a dual setup rig capable of operating in either a reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling role (though not at the same time). This is a common scenario where exploration drilling is being performed in a very isolated location. The rig is first set up to drill as an RC rig and once the desired metres are drilled, the rig is set up for diamond drilling. This way the deeper metres of the hole can be drilled without moving the rig and waiting for a diamond rig to set up on the pad.
Direct push rigs
Direct push technology includes several types of drilling rigs and drilling equipment which advances a drill string by pushing or hammering without rotating the drill string. While this does not meet the proper definition of drilling, it does achieve the same result - a borehole. Direct push rigs include both cone penetration testing (CPT) rigs and direct push sampling rigs such as a PowerProbe or Geoprobe. Direct push rigs typically are limited to drilling in unconsolidated soil materials and very soft rock.
CPT rigs advance specialized testing equipment (such as electronic cones), and soil samplers using large hydraulic rams. Most CPT rigs are heavily ballasted (20 metric tons is typical) as a counter force against the pushing force of the hydraulic rams which are often rated up to 20kn. Alternatively, small, light CPT rigs and offshore CPT rigs will use anchors such as screwed-in ground anchors to create the reactive force. In ideal conditions, CPT rigs can achieve production rates of up to 250–300 meters per day.
Direct push drilling rigs use hydraulic cylinders and a hydraulic hammer in advancing a hollow core sampler to gather soil and groundwater samples. The speed and depth of penetration is largely dependent on the soil type, the size of the sampler, and the weight and power the rig. Direct push techniques are generally limited to shallow soil sample recovery in unconsolidated soil materials. The advantage of direct push technology is that in the right soil type it can produce a large number of high quality samples quickly and cheaply, generally from 50 to 75 meters per day. Rather than hammering, direct push can also be combined with sonic (vibratory) methods to increase drill efficiency.
Hydraulic rotary drilling
Oil well drilling utilises tri-cone roller, carbide embedded, fixed-cutter diamond, or diamond-impregnated drill bits to wear away at the cutting face. This is preferred because there is no need to return intact samples to surface for assay as the objective is to reach a formation containing oil or natural gas. Sizable machinery is used, enabling depths of several kilometres to be penetrated. Rotating hollow drill pipes carry down bentonite and barite infused drilling muds to lubricate, cool, and clean the drilling bit, control downhole pressures, stabilize the wall of the borehole and remove drill cuttings. The mud travels back to the surface around the outside of the drill pipe, called the annulus. Examining rock chips extracted from the mud is known as mud logging. Another form of well logging is electronic and is frequently employed to evaluate the existence of possible oil and gas deposits in the borehole. This can take place while the well is being drilled, using Measurement While Drilling tools, or after drilling, by lowering measurement tools into the newly-drilled hole.
The rotary system of drilling was in general use in Texas in the early 1900s. It is a modification of one invented by Fauvelle in 1845, and used in the early years of the oil industry in some of the oil-producing countries in Europe. Originally pressurized water was used instead of mud, and was almost useless in hard rock before the diamond cutting bit.[1]. The main breakthrough for rotary drilling came in 1901, when Anthony Francis Lucas combined the use of a steam-driven rig and of mud instead of water in the Spindletop discovery well.[2]
The drilling and production of oil and gas can pose a safety risk and a hazard to the environment from the ignition of the entrained gas causing dangerous fires and also from the risk of oil leakage polluting water, land and groundwater. For these reasons, redundant safety systems and highly trained personnel are required by law in all countries with significant production.
Sonic (vibratory) drilling
A sonic drill head works by sending high frequency resonant vibrations down the drill string to the drill bit, while the operator controls these frequencies to suit the specific conditions of the soil/rock geology. Vibrations may also be generated within the drill head. The frequency is generally between 50 and 120 hertz (cycles per second) and can be varied by the operator.
Resonance magnifies the amplitude of the drill bit, which fluidizes the soil particles at the bit face, allowing for fast and easy penetration through most geological formations. An internal spring system isolates these vibrational forces from the rest of the drill rig.
Limits of the technology

An oil rig
Drill technology has advanced steadily since the 19th century. However, there are several basic limiting factors which will determine the depth to which a bore hole can be sunk.
All holes must maintain outer diameter; the diameter of the hole must remain wider than the diameter of the rods or the rods cannot turn in the hole and progress cannot continue. Friction caused by the drilling operation will tend to reduce the outside diameter of the drill bit. This applies to all drilling methods, except that in diamond core drilling the use of thinner rods and casing may permit the hole to continue. Casing is simply a hollow sheath which protects the hole against collapse during drilling, and is made of metal or PVC. Often diamond holes will start off at a large diameter and when outside diameter is lost, thinner rods put down inside casing to continue, until finally the hole becomes too narrow. Alternatively, the hole can be reamed; this is the usual practice in oil well drilling where the hole size is maintained down to the next casing point.
For percussion techniques, the main limitation is air pressure. Air must be delivered to the piston at sufficient pressure to activate the reciprocating action, and in turn drive the head into the rock with sufficient strength to fracture and pulverise it. With depth, volume is added to the in-rod string, requiring larger compressors to achieve operational pressures. Secondly, groundwater is ubiquitous, and increases in pressure with depth in the ground. The air inside the rod string must be pressurised enough to overcome this water pressure at the bit face. Then, the air must be able to carry the rock fragments to surface. This is why depths in excess of 500 m for reverse circulation drilling are rarely achieved, because the cost is prohibitive and approaches the threshold at which diamond core drilling is more economic.
Diamond drilling can routinely achieve depths in excess of 1200 m. In cases where money is no issue, extreme depths have been achieved because there is no requirement to overcome water pressure. However, circulation must be maintained to return the drill cuttings to surface, and more importantly to maintain cooling and lubrication of the cutting surface.
Without sufficient lubrication and cooling, the matrix of the drill bit will soften. While diamond is the hardest substance known, at 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, it must remain firmly in the matrix to achieve cutting. Weight on bit, the force exerted on the cutting face of the bit by the drill rods in the hole above the bit, must also be monitored.
A unique drilling operation in deep ocean water was named Project Mohole.
Causes of deviation
Most drill holes deviate from the vertical. This is because of the torque of the turning bit working against the cutting face, because of the flexibility of the steel rods and especially the screw joints, because of reaction to foliation and structure within the rock, and because of refraction as the bit moves into different rock layers of varying resistance. Additionally, inclined holes will tend to deviate upwards because the drill rods will lie against the bottom of the bore, causing the drill bit to be slightly inclined from true. It is because of deviation that drill holes must be surveyed if deviation will impact on the usefulness of the information returned. Sometimes the surface location can be offset laterally to take advantage of the expected deviation tendency, so the bottom of the hole will end up near the desired location. Oil well drilling commonly uses a process of controlled deviation called directional drilling (e.g., when several wells are drilled from one surface location).
Rig equipment

Simple diagram of a drilling rig and its basic operation
typically includes at least some of the following items: See Drilling rig (petroleum) for a more detailed description.
Blowout preventers: (BOPs)
The equipment associated with a rig is to some extent dependent on the type of rig but (#23 & #24) are devices installed at the wellhead to prevent fluids and gases from unintentionally escaping from the borehole. #23 is the annular (often referred to as the Hydril, which is one manufacturer) and #24 is the pipe rams and blind rams.
Centrifuge: an industrial version of the device that separates fine silt and sand from the drilling fluid.
Solids control: solids control equipments for preparing drilling mud for the drilling rig.
Chain tongs: wrench with a section of chain, that wraps around whatever is being tightened or loosened. Similar to a pipe wrench.
Degasser: a device that separates air and/or gas from the drilling fluid.
Desander / desilter: contains a set of hydrocyclones that separate sand and silt from the drilling fluid.
Drawworks: (#7) is the mechanical section that contains the spool, whose main function is to reel in/out the drill line to raise/lower the traveling block (#11).
Drill bit: (#26) device attached to the end of the drill string that breaks apart the rock being drilled. It contains jets through which the drilling fluid exits.
Drill pipe: (#16) joints of hollow tubing used to connect the surface equipment to the bottom hole assembly (BHA) and acts as a conduit for the drilling fluid. In the diagram, these are stands of drill pipe which are 2 or 3 joints of drill pipe connected together and stood in the derrick vertically, usually to save time while Tripping pipe.
Elevators: a hinged device that is used to latch to the drill pipe or casing to facilitate the lowering or lifting (of pipe or casing) into or out of the borehole.
Mud motor: a hydraulically powered device positioned just above the drill bit used to spin the bit independently from the rest of the drill string.
Mud pump: (#4) reciprocal type of pump used to circulate drilling fluid through the system.
Mud tanks: (#1) often called mud pits, provides a reserve store of drilling fluid until it is required down the wellbore.
Rotary table: (#20) rotates the drill string along with the attached tools and bit.
Shale shaker: (#2) separates drill cuttings from the drilling fluid before it is pumped back down the borehole.

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