PETROENG 1006

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

Weeks 1-3: Drilling Engineering

Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

Dr. Alireza Salmachi

Australian School of Petroleum

Phone: (08) 83133502

Email: [Link]@[Link]
Room: 2.06, Santos Petroleum Engineering Bldg

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 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

2
 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

3
 Why Drill Wells in Petroleum E&P?
• Only way to bring oil and gas to the surface from
reservoirs 1-5 km down.

• Only method for directly determining whether oil and

gas is located at depth and its flow rate.

• Only method for sampling the subsurface geology.

• Wells used both to extract and inject fluids.

Drilling is fundamental to the industry –

no drilling = no oil or gas production!
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 Responsibilities of a Drilling Engineer
•Develop casing program (sizes, •Maintain well control
setting depths) based on • Monitor drilling operations and
geologists exploration or optimize drilling performance.
development targets
• Conduct fishing operations in
• Design cementing program conjunction with rig personnel.
• Select/design the mud program • Develop procedure to
with the geologist. implement formation evaluation
• Develop hydraulics and solids program in conjunction with
control program. geologist.
• Design a directional well path • Maintain regulatory compliance.
(including horizontal and
multilaterals).
• Specify specialist equipment to
be used.

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 Other Drilling Personnel
• Company man – well site representative
• Drilling Supervisor
From Oil
and / or Company

• Drilling Engineer

• Toolpusher / Supervisor From

contractor
• Driller
• Roughnecks (work on rig floor)
• Crane operator
• Derrickhand (drilling muds and circulation)
• Motorman (engines, pumps, etc).
• Leadhand (‘worm’, lowest of drilling crew)
• Roustabouts (general non-drilling labour)

Plus: Service company personnel (loggers, mud

engineers), logistics (e.g. Catering, pilots) and
ships crew in many offshore rigs. 6
 Well Types
1 Wildcat/Exploration Well
• to authenticate the quality of data and
information as obtained based on
• previous geological/Geological
information
• seismic survey
• gravimetric surveys
• satellite survey etc
• to produce the physical map subsurface
and
• to ascertain presence of hydrocarbon
by collecting the sample and analyse
its texture description

2 Appraisal/Evaluation Well
• to identify depositional information
within the reservoir related to
• Thickness and mineralogy of
various sedimentary layers
3 Development/Production Well • Rock and fluid properties such as
• Rigorous evaluations porosity, permeability, fluid
saturation, etc
• Improve reservoir modelling
• Flow pressure test, production
• Monitor further development and capacity, amount of reserves,
Subsequent completions recoverable reserves
• Make ready for production • Analyses involve
• coring, logging, well
7 testing
 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

8
 Images from History of Oil Well Drilling [Link]

Cable
Drilling

Downie portable cable drilling machine on its first well

(Butler Co. Pennsylvania, 1878)
Steam driven spring arm cable drilling 9
 Cable Rig
nomenclature circa
1910

Many terms still used

today. Do you
recognize any?

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11
 Quiz
Question 1 (Discussion):
What are some of the key differences you can think of
between onshore and offshore drill rigs?

A (some): Onshore rigs smaller, more

easily relocated, cheaper and have less
facilities than offshore rigs.
Offshore rigs require foundation or
position maintenance, must be self
contained (difficult to resupply), greater
environmental hazards and increased
environmental and worker risks.
Rotary Drilling Rig

Onshore Rig
CRC -1
Otway Basin
Century Rig
April 08

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Rotary Drilling Rig

Jack-Up Drilling Rig

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Rotary Drilling Rig
Semi-Submersible Drilling Rig

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Rotary Drilling Rig
Semi Submersible

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Rotary Drilling Rig

Offshore
Platform with
single derrick

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Rotary Drilling Rig
Double Rig Platform

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Rotary Drilling Rig
Circular Drilling Rig (Commenced drilling 2010)
The ‘Sevan Driller’ is
the world's first of its
kind, with the most
advanced deep-water
drilling capabilities that
allow it to drill wells of
up to almost 13,500
meters (40,000 feet) in
water depths of up to
nearly 4,200 meters
(12,500 feet) and an
internal storage
capacity of up to
150,000 bbls of oil.
Under 6 year lease to
Petrobras in the Santos
Basin, Brazil. 19
Onshore Shallow Water Deep water
Lower Cost Higher Cost

Production Exploration Production

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 Quiz
Question 2:
Are jack-up rigs used for?
a) Onshore exploration and production
b) Shallow water exploration
c) Shallow water production
d) Deepwater exploration

A: b) Shallow water exploration:

mobile rig that must have legs
long enough to reach the seabed
(typically <100m water depth).
 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

22
 How much does drilling an oil well cost?
• Onshore wells: US$8000-15000/day, typically $400k-
$1million each. Depends on location and hole depth.

• Shallow water wells: typically $5-30 million per well

($90-180k/day) on the continental shelf.

• Deepwater wells: Lease rates $350-650k/day – not

including operating costs (similar to lease cost)!
Deepwater wells can easily cost >US$200 million!

• Deepwater production platforms: Several billion $$!

Cost varies significantly with water depth, specialist
equipment, depth/time to drill, (to name a few).

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 Quiz
Question 3 (Discussion):
What are some of the key issues that can affect cost of
drilling a well?

A: Water depth, specialist equipment,

time/depth to drill, remoteness of
location, market forces, rig availability,
required rig power, required well size,
specialist casing/completions, specialist
muds or bits, drilling problems (kicks,
blowouts, instability, collapse), deviated
vs vertical (to name a few).
 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

25
Rotary Drilling Rig
Drill rig is a
complex piece of
machinery having
Derrickman’s platform several parts and
Cable
required several
qualified
Mud hose
Swivel professionals to
Kelly
Rotary table
run it with central
Engines & generators
Mud pit
interests of
turning the bit
into the right
depth and to do
Mud pump
Pipe ramp
drilling job with
Blowout preventer
Casing
minimum cost.
Stacked drill
pipe
Cement
Drill bit 26
Rotary Drilling Rig

Basic components
of a rotary drilling
Derrickman’s platform rig:
• Rig power systems
Cable
• Rotary System
Mud hose • Circulating System
Swivel
Kelly
• Hoisting System
Rotary table • Well Control System
Engines & generators
Mud pit

Mud pump
Pipe ramp
Blowout preventer
Casing
Stacked drill
pipe
Cement
Drill bit 27
Rotary Drilling Rig
Generalised Land Rig Layout
Drill water pit
Mud chemical
‘Turkey’s nest’
storage area

Mud pumps

Power generation
Mud sludge pit
BOP hydraulic system
Draw works
Drilling console Shale shakers
Driller’s hut Drill floor
‘doghouse’
Drilling Fluids
Mud logging unit
Engineer
Rotary table
Geologist Flowline
Office Mud
Pipe rack Flare line
Toolpusher testing
Office hut

Company Office
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 Rig Power System
• Purpose: Provides all electrical and mechanical power to
the rig. Most power is consumed by the hoisting and
circulatory systems. Lesser amounts by rotary system,
lights, etc.

• Main components: Engines (typically 1000-3000 hp) plus

all associated aspects (e.g. gears, transmission system).

• Types: Internal combustion diesel engines. Two types:

diesel electric (more versatile) and direct drive (cheaper,
good control of rotary system).

Drill rigs generally self-contained – hence these

engines power eveything!
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 Rotary System
• Purpose: To turn the bit and drill the well.
• Main components: Transmission system, rotary table,
master bushing, kelly bushing, kelly, Kelly sub-saver,
swivel, string (drill pipe, drill collars), drill bit.

• Types: Drive system can be electric or chain. Bit can be

turned by three systems: rotary table, top drive or
downhole motor.

All other systems are primarily to support

this basic function – drilling the hole!

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 Example of
kelly
Rotary System
on land rig.

kelly bushing

drill pipe in
rotary table mousehole

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 Quiz
Question 4:
Which of the following is NOT a part of the circulatory system?
a) Kelly bushing
b) Shale shakers
c) Pumps
d) Centrifuges

A: a) Kelly bushing. The

KB transmits rotation
from the rotary table and
master bushing to the
kelly (hexagonal or square
pipe at top of string) and
drill string.
 Circulatory System
• Purpose: To circulate drilling mud through the hole. Mud is
pumped down inside of string, through bit (lubrictates bit),
then carries cuttings to the surface (cuttings removal and
transport), is ‘cleaned’ and recycled.

• Main components: Drilling mud, Mud mixing equipment,

pits, pumps, cleaning equipment (shale shakers, de-silters,
de-sanders, de-gassers, centrifuges).

• Types: Equipment is fairly standard across industry. Mud

design is highly varied and specialised.

Drilling mud performs a number of critical functions!

Most blowouts are related to an issue with the mud.
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 Main Components of Circulating System

Major Components from

a design point of view
(on shore)
• Mud Pumps
• Mud Pits/Mud Tank
• Mixing equipments
and Cleaners

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 Hoisting System
• Purpose: To raise and lower the drill string during drilling,
to lower casing and specialist tools and equipment down
the hole, to move equipment around the rig.

• Main components: Derrick, drawworks (winch, drum,

catheads), crown block, travelling block, hook, cables.

• Types: Equipment fairly standard across industry, but sizes

can vary greatly depending on requirements.

Entire weight of drill string (several kms of steel

piping) is held by the hoisting system.

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 Well Control System
• Purpose: To seal off the wellbore when kicks/blowouts
occur, protect the safety of personnel and rig and to
facilitate killing of blowouts.

• Main components: Kill and loss control muds, flow

monitoring equipment, blowout preventer (annulus types,
ram types), spools, kill and choke lines.

• Types: BOPs vary in size and number of components

depending on operation. Smaller onshore, big offshore
(can be 15-20m high).
Fully functioning BOP is essential as it is the last
safety barrier in event of blowout. Failure of BOP =
Deepwater Horizon disaster.
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Typical Subsea BOP Stacks
~13m high

Upper package;
annular hydrill and
riser release

Lower package;

upper pipe rams

shear rams
blind rams
lower pipe rams

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 Quiz
Question 5:
The drawworks is a part of which system?
a) Rotary System
b) Circulatory System
c) Well control system
d) Hoisting system

A: d) Hoisting system. The

drawworks provides the
hoisting and braking
power for the system and
contains the drum, brakes,
transmission and
catheads.
 Lecture 2: Drill Rigs

• Lecture 1 Review
• Rig Types and Locations
• Rig Costs
• Drill Rig Equipment and Systems
• Summary

39
Onshore Shallow Water Deep water Rig Types
Lower Cost Higher Cost

Production Exploration Production

Land
Semi- Drillship
Deepwater
Offshore Jack-up submersible floating
platform production
platform

40
Rotary Drilling Rig

Basic components
of a rotary drilling
Derrickman’s platform rig:
• Rig power systems
Cable
• Rotary System
Mud hose • Circulating System
Swivel
Kelly
• Hoisting System
Rotary table • Well Control System
Engines & generators
Mud pit

Mud pump
Pipe ramp
Blowout preventer
Casing
Stacked drill
pipe
Cement
Drill bit 41