6 The Drilling Rig 6.1 Introduction A rotary drilling rig is designed to produce only one product a hole.

A
drilling contractor owns most rigs. Oil companies, often called operators, own most of the wells. The
contractor must provide the equipment and machinery to drill a well to the specified depth. This
consists of hoisting, circulating, rotating components, a derrick or mast to support them, and the power
to drive them. Rigs are divided into two categories: Onshore Offshore Offshore rigs are subdivided
further into six basic types; each designed to suit a certain type of offshore environments: Barge
Drilling Tender Submersible Jack-up Structure rig Semi Submersible Drillship 6.2 Onshore Rigs
Onshore rigs are all similar. The most common arrangement for a land drilling rig is the cantilever mast
(also called a jack-knife derrick) which is assembled on the ground, then raised to the vertical position
using power from the drawworks (hoisting system). These structures are composed of prefabricated
sections that are fastened together by large steel pins. The mast is raised as a unit by the hoisting line,
Traveling block and drawworks. On the wellsite, the mast is usually set onto a substructure that is 8 to

Some have their masts permanently attached to a large truck to enhance their portability (see picture
below). Some land rigs can be moved by helicopter and are called heli-rigs. Figure 12 A truck-mounted
rig. In some locations, older standard derricks are still used. This four-legged structure has to be
completely dismantled every time the rig is moved. Most of the time it is left in place over the well.
These derricks are not in much use today. Before a land rig is brought in and assembled, the area needs
to be cleared and leveled and access must be available. In dense jungle locations where the site is far
away from a navigable river, heli-rigs are used. On the North Slope of Alaska and in other similar areas,
site preparation includes an insulating layer to separate the permafrost from the heat in the rig floor
6.3
Offshore Rigs 6.3.1 Barge Barges are mobile, shallow draft, flat-bottom vessels equipped with a derrick,
other necessary drilling equipment and accommodations. Tugboats usually tow them to the location
with the derrick lying down. Once on location the lower hull is flooded until it rests on the bottom. The
derrick is then raised and drilling operations are conducted with the barge in this position. Figure 14 A
swamp barge. There are two basic types of barge rigs: Conventional Posted PRINTED IN SINGAPORE

hull and superstructure are separated by 10 to 14 foot columns, which increases the water depth
capabilities of the rig. Barge workover rigs typically differ from barge drilling rigs both in the size of the
hull and the capability of the drilling equipment. Because workover operations require less pulling
power and mud system capacity, a smaller, lower capacity unit can be used. In addition, workover rigs,
which are equipped with specialized pumps and handling tools, do not require heavy-duty drill pipe.
Operating costs for workover rigs are lower because the rigs require smaller crews, use less fuel and
require less repair and maintenance. Because of limited space on the drilling barge, utility barges are
positioned alongside the barge rig and are used to: Store materials A container for cuttings that are
dumped from the drilling barge Barges are built to work in 8 to 20 feet of water. They are used primarily
in swampy areas or very shallow coastal areas. They can be found operating in the swamps of river
deltas in West Africa and Kalimantan, the US Gulf Coast or in the coastal areas of shallow lakes such as
Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. 6.3.2 Drilling Tender Drilling tenders are usually non-self-propelled barges
or semi-submersibles that are moored alongside a platform. They contain the quarters, mud pits, mud
pumps, power generation, and other equipment needed to drill an offshore well. The only equipment on
the platform is the derrick equipment consisting of the substructure, drillfloor, derrick and drawworks.
Drilling tenders allow smaller, less costly platforms to be used for development projects. Self-erecting
tenders carry their own derrick equipment set and has a crane capable of erecting it on the platform,
thereby eliminating the cost associated with a separate derrick barge and related equipment. Older
tenders frequently require the assistance of a derrick barge to erect the derrick equipment set. PRINTED

Submersible Submersible rigs are larger than barges and somewhat similar in configuration to the semi-
submersible rigs, but the lower hull of the rig rests on the sea floor during drilling operations. A
submersible rig is towed to the well site where it is submerged by flooding its lower hull until it rests on
the sea floor with the upper hull above the water surface. Pumping out water from the lower hull
refloats the rig. Submersible rigs typically operate in water depths of 12 to 85 feet, although some
submersible rigs are capable of operating at greater depths. Figure 16 A submersible rig. 6.3.4 Jack-Up
Jack-ups are mobile self-elevating drilling rigs, equipped with legs and are designed to operate in
shallow water, generally less then 350 ft deep (107 m deep). Jack-up rigs are very stable drilling
platforms because they rest on the seabed and are not subjected to the heaving motion of the sea. Their
barge-like hull may be ship-shaped, triangular, rectangular, or irregularly shaped and is supported on a
number of lattice or tubular legs. The hull of the rig includes the drilling rig, jacking system, crew
quarters, loading and unloading facilities, storage areas for bulk and liquid materials, helicopter landing
deck and other related equipment. The derrick may be located over a drilling slot indented in one side of
the structure or it may be cantilevered over the side, allowing the rig to drill wells on platforms or single-
-up rigs have
three, four or five legs that are either vertical or slightly tilted for better stability. A few of the earlier
jack-ups have eight or ten. The legs may be independent steel feet (spud cans) or may have a lower
hull (mat) attached to the bottom of them. Independent leg rigs are better suited for harder or
uneven seabed conditions while mat rigs are better suited for soft bottom conditions. Figure 17 A jack-
up. Moving a rig from one location to another involves jacking the hull down into the water until it is
afloat and then jacking up its legs with the hull floating on the surface of the water. The hull is then
towed to the new drilling site by tugs (some jack-ups are self propelled) with the legs raised, projecting
only a few feet below the deck. It can only be towed only in good seas and at a slow speed. When the rig
reaches its location, electric or hydraulic jacks lower the legs to the ocean floor until a foundation is
established to support the drilling platform. The jacking operation continues until the hull is raised out
of the water to a level that is above the highest expected waves. The final air gap is usually some 60 feet
(18 m) or more above the waves. Drilling operations are then conducted with the hull in its raised
position. There are generally two types of jack up rigs: Cantilever jack-up Slot type jack-up A
cantilever jack-up allows the drill floor to be extended out from the hull, allowing it to perform drilling or
workover operations over pre-existing platforms or structures. Certain cantilever jack-up rigs have "skid-
off" capability, which allows the derrick equipment set to be skidded onto an adjacent platform, thereby
increasing the operational capacity of the rig. Slot type jack-up rigs are configured for the drilling
operations to take place through a slot in the hull. These rigs are usually used for exploratory drilling,
since their configuration makes them difficult to position over existing platforms or structures. The chief
disadvantage of the jack-up is its vulnerability when being jacked up or relocated. One of their
advantages is that they are cheaper than other mobile offshore rigs.