CGE 416

Introduction to
Petroleum
Technology

Drilling and Completions

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Fundamental of drilling engineering
Drilling preliminaries & overview of drilling
systems
Drilling problems & drilling techniques
Testing a well and well completion

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Once geologist and geophysicist have found a
promising geological structure and location to drill for
commercial oil and gas it is time to go ahead with
drilling
The objective of drilling to bore a hole (the well
bore)
Until penetrate a target rock formation that has
been identified by the geologists and
geophysicists as having the potential to contain
commercial hydrocarbons
The formations through which will be drilling may be
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Appropriate precautions should be
taken to avoid blowout when the
fluid spew violently out of the hole
which is extremely dangerous as
well as damaging to the
environment
These blowout frequently:

Caught fire
Destroyed the rig

Technology of todays drilling

industry is focused on drilling
safely and economically into the
pressurized underground
Faculty allowing
of Chemical Engineering
formations without
any

CLASIFICATION OF WELL TYPES

WHY DO WE DRILL WELL

Rig Establishment & Reporting Lines

Service
Companies
SHORE
BASED

Operating
Company

Senior
Geologist

RIG
BASED
Mud
Engineer
Cementer
Mud
Loggers
Electric
Loggers
Wellhead
Specialist
Coring
Engineers
Directional
Engineer

Drilling
Superintendent

Drilling
Contractor

Drilling
Superintendent

Senior Drilling
Supervisor
Wellsite
Geologist

Drilling
Engineer
Senior
Toolpusher
Subsea
Chief
Night
Radio Barge
Medic
Engineers (2)Engineer
Toolpusher Ops (2) Captain

Mechanics (2)Day & Night Rig CrewC.Room Ops (2)

Driller (2)
Crane Ops (2)
Motormen (2)
Ass driller (2)
Deck Crew (6)
Electrician (1)
Derrickmen (2)
Roughnecks (6)

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
The type of rig which will be selected depends
upon a number of parameters:
Water depth of location (offshore)
Mobility/transportability (onshore)
Depth of target zone and expected formation
pressures
Prevailing weather conditions in the area of
operation
Safety drilling crew
Onshore operations various types of land rigs
are available, ranging from truck mounted light
rigs up to heavy land rigs
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Types of rig can be contracted for offshore drilling

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Jack-up
Jack-up rigs are towed over the drilling location
3@4 legs of the rig are lowered onto the seabed
After some penetration rig will lift itself to a
determined operating height above sea level
Jack-up rigs are operational in water depths up
to about 650ft and as shallow as 15ft
Most common rig type

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Jack-up

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Semi-submersible
Floating type of rig
Structure is supported by large pontoons which
are ballasted with water to provide the required
stability and height
During rig moves, only pontoons are
submerged
At drillsite, the pontoons are partially flooded
so that the rig rides deep in the water
providing a stable drilling platform
Rig is held in position by anchors and mooring
lines or dynamically positioning system (DPS)
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Semi-submersible
Large diameter steel pipe (riser) is connected
to the sea-bed & serves as a conduit for the
drill string
Often used in water depths too deep for jackup
Anchor handling and the length of the riser
eventually impose a limit on the operating
depth
Their stability makes them suitable vessel for
hostile offshore environments
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Semi-submersible

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Drillship
Drill ships are used in deep water and remote
areas
Vessels are equipped with a drilling unit
positioned in the middle of the ship
Positioning is achieved dynamically by
computer unit positioned in the middle of the
ship
Positioning is achieved dynamically by
computer controlled thrusters
Mobility can easily move off to other location
under short notice, such as in areas with a high
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Rig types and rig selection
Drillship

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and
Completions
Drilling system and
equipment
Basic drilling system
for both onshore and
offshore will be the
rotary rig

Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Drill bit
Most frequently used bit types are the roller cone
@ rock bit and polycrystalline diamond cutter
(PDC) bit
On the rock bit, the three cones are rotated and
the attached teeth break the rock underneath into
small chips cuttings
Cutting action is supported by powerful jets of
drilling fluid which are discharged under high
pressure through nozzle located at the side of the
bit
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Drilling and Completions

Drill bit
After some hours of drilling (between 5 and 25
hours depending on the formation and bit type)
teeth become dull and the bearing wear out
PDC bit is fitted with industrial diamond cutters
Being used widely due to better rate of
penetration, longer life and suitability for drilling
with high revolutions per minute (rpm)
Bit type selection depends on the composition and
hardness of the formation to be drilled and the
planned drilling parameters
Faculty of Chemical Engineering

Exercise
A drilling contractor wants to drill a
well
2000 m underground offshore
Pasir Puteh. The rig will stay 30 days
at the site, and will start drilling at
day 3 until day 27. 10 PDC bits are
reserved for this operation, each 1
cost 20 k USD. The operating cost is
200k USD per day. Calculate the
overall cost per foot for this drilling
program.