Page 8 - The Rotary Rig and Its Components

BIT SELECTION

Petroleum Extension-The University of Texas at Austin

Introduction

▼
▼
▼

In this chapter:
• The purpose of the rotary rig: drilling a well
• Portability of rotary rigs
• The functions of operators and drilling contractors

• Basics of the rotary drilling process

il and gas are normally found far below the surface, so special
Omeans of reaching them and bringing them to the surface must
be used. Drilling through perhaps thousands of feet of earth, remov-
ing the dirt and rock from the hole as it is drilled, keeping the hole
from caving in while it is being drilled, finding a particular layer of
earth where oil or gas might be trapped, and providing a means of
bringing it to the surface require considerable expertise, labor, and
equipment. The primary equipment in this process is the rotary drill-
ing rig and its components.
A rotary drilling rig, whether on land or offshore, can be thought
of as a factory designed to produce only one product—an oilwell, or
hole, as it is called in the business. This hole is a carefully planned path
from the surface to a formation that might contain hydrocarbons. A rig
differs from other manufacturing facilities, however, in that, once the
hole is completed and the oil or gas is flowing to the surface, the rig is
no longer needed to continue production. Once a well is drilled, the
rig and its components can be disassembled, moved, and reassembled
at a new location in order to begin drilling again.

1