workover rig training pricelist

Well Control School offers Instructor-Led training in the comfort of your facility. In-House training courses provide all the advantages of our Instructor-Led training, with simulation workshops and electronic testing, plus dedicated attention at your convenience.

This course presents the basics of drilling and completion operations, plus post-completion enhancement (workovers). Participants will learn to visualize what is happening downhole, discover what can be accomplished, and learn how drilling and completion can alter reservoir performance. Learn to communicate with drilling and production personnel. No experience or prerequisites are required.

Target Audience Technical, field, service, support, and supervisory personnel desiring to gain an awareness of wellbore operations. Excellent for cross-training of other technical disciplines such as reservoir and facility engineers, geoscientists, supervisors, service personnel, and anyone who interacts with drilling, completion or workover engineers.

Tech Safety Lines’ Derrick Worker Rescue course is specifically designed for employees who work on drilling and workover rigs. This course concentrates on the various uses and applications of self-rescue and assisted rescue equipment. The greater portion of the class is held on an elevated structure that pertains specifically to the oil industry. After becoming comfortable with the simple processes used with the equipment, the students will perform and participate in several simulated rescue scenarios.

Entry-level jobs may pay $50,000 to $75,000 a year, and there"s a pretty clear oil rig career ladder. Pay increases as one moves from roughneck or floor hand to driller and rig supervisor.

The best way to get a job on an oil rig, where you can make upwards of $25 an hour your first day on the job, is to participate in a professional oil rig training course. Nothing compares to oil rig training for gaining both knowledge and practical experience that will prepare you for an awesome job and career.

Good training programs send a high percentage of their graduates directly into the work force all over the world. All major companies are eager to hire well-trained workers, rather than someone without any experience. By getting the proper training you will be working in one of the world"s biggest industries as soon as you graduate. That could even be within a month of this very minute.

This is only a fraction of the things that professional oil rig training will prepare you for. OilJobFinder will help you find the training programs that will take the time to prepare you properly for a solid career.

Use OilJobFinder to help your find your dream job. There are thousands of open jobs right now. Simply click the button below to start your job search.

Among Survey Participants:Rig Demand Down QTQ [See Question 1 on Statistical Review]. Seven of the eight respondents said that demand had dropped in 1Q15 vs 4Q14 and all but one blamed lower oil prices for the slowing. One respondent that had seen a slowdown in demand said it was because they had finished all of their completion work. The respondent who had not seen an effect on demand said that their work was steady, but they were hearing of others slowing down.Mid-Tier Well Service Manager: “We are seeing demand slow for rigs and prices are being reduced. Operators are asking for 20% reductions, some are asking for 30% and they may get it. The greater reductions will be from people who are local because they don"t have the overhead expense. The service won’t be as good. On average, operators may get 15% of that 30% they are seeking in reductions.”

Number of Rigs Sufficient [See Question 2 on Statistical Review]. Six of the eight respondents said that the workover rig inventory is excessive for the current demand, while two said that it is sufficient but tipping toward excessive.Mid-Tier Operator: “Operators here are basically focusing on the higher production wells and going to ignore the lower ones. We have heard companies are laying down workover rigs. One company is going from 17 to 13.”

Well Service Work Weighted Toward Standard Workovers and Routine Maintenance [See Question 3 on Statistical Review]. Among all respondents, standard workover work accounts for 34% on average, routine maintenance accounts for 34%, plug and abandonment (P&A) accounts for 16% and completion work accounts for 16%.Mid-Tier Well Service Manager: “Our work slowed because we finished our completion work so the client gave us some production work to keep us steady till we finish this fracking job.”

Hourly Rates Consistent Among HP Series [See Question 5 on Statistical Review]. Most workover rig horsepower falls within the range of the 500 series. The 500 HP hourly rates average $310 to $400/hour depending on what ancillary equipment is contracted. See Table II for Average Hourly Rates.

Hart Energy researchers completed interviews with nine industry participants in the workover/well service segment in areas of the Rocky Mountains outside of the Bakken Shale play. Participants included one oil and gas operator and seven managers with well service companies. Interviews were conducted during January 2015.

3. Looking at your slate of well service work - on a percentage basis - how much of it is workover vs. routine maintenance vs. plug & abandonment (P&A) vs. completion work?

Here"s when workover operations come into play. Every time a well has production problems it needs to be repaired. In this article you"re going to be reading about one particular problem in a well and what we did to solve it. If you"re a young professional in the oil industry and never had the chance to be present in a workover operation, I invite you to go through these lines, hoping they help you knowing a little more about this amazing and unpredictable world.

A few years ago, my rig team received information about the next oil well that we would be repairing. Just by reading the well"s name we immediately inferred that we were going to deal with a really old well. The job program indicated us that this well had a high water cut, this means that most of the production of the well was formation water. We needed to isolate the water producing sandstone in order to leave an upper sandstone open to production.

The well was originally drilled in the 70´s by a split drilling rig, this type of rig was used in the past for operations on shallow waters and it was not like a typical cantilever drilling barge. In this rig, the derrick was separated from the barge and it had to be armed above the foundation of the well. This type of foundation is known as Light Rig Mover foundation and it is formed by four heads with two piles each and a square metal frame 24’ x 24’ approximately. With this particular well, we recall that old saying that states: "Don’t judge a book just by its cover". Let’s move on to the seven steps

The first thing we do before working on any well is an inspection of the location before the rig move, this is very important to determine wheatear the barge can fit in the well location or not. During this well’s inspection we could see that both the well foundation and the wellhead were not in the best condition, but this was fixable and the job could be done, though it would be a real challenge. Finally, the rig was moved and positioned on the well location.

Before removing the christmas tree in order to install the BOPs, we had to secure the tubing by settling a safety valve in the upper landing nipple. In most cases we secure the well by installing a check valve in the tubing hanger, but this well did not have an extended neck hanger, instead it had a wrap around tubing hanger which made the use of slickline tools necessary. We always make a calibration trip before running anything else into a well. In this particular case the tubing string originally installed in the well was 2-7/8”, 6.5 lb/ft from surface to 11413’, and 2-3/8”, 4.7 lb/ft from 11413’ to the entry guide at 11706’. With a Baker Hughes FH Hydraulic packer at 11415’ and an Evolution R3 retrievable packer at 11697’, five gas lift mandrels, a 1.875” landing nipple at 11704’, a 2.313” landing nipple at 214’ and no sliding sleeves. We first ran a 1-27/32” gauge cutter to the bottom of the hole at 12211’ and then a 2-9/32” gauge cutter to 11413’ locating the crossover 2-7/8” x 2-3/8”. Then, before running the valve we ran a slickline tubing scratcher in order to guarantee a good setting of it. So, after a few trips, we installed the valve at 214’ and let the well secured to install de BOP and continue the operations with proper safety.

This saved us from all the fishing jobs, which in this type of wells is at least two fishing trips (without any complications) and perhaps a few milling trips if the tubing is somehow damaged by the wireline cutters, and this represent lots of saved rig time for the well. In general, the fishing operations take from 40% to 50% of the time needed to finish a workover job. The only thing we had to do was a quick calibration trip to 11945’ with a 4-5/8” tapered mill to guarantee a good operation in our next step.

Once we retrieve an old completion string from a well, we usually run a mechanical packer to make a casing integrity test, in this case we ran an Evolution R3 packer for 5-1/2”, 17-20 lbs/ft casing (not the same one that was retrieve from the original completion, obviously), down to 11645’, 20’ above the first perforated intervals. After successfully testing the casing, the following step was a wireline job.

The last step of this workover job, after solving the bottom hole problem and replacing the wellhead, was to run the well completion. The equipment was ran down to 11402’ and it was composed by 368 joints of 2-7/8” 6.5 lbs/ft tubing, five gas lift mandrels, two 2.313” landing nipples, and a Weatherford Stratobar hydraulic packer, the completion was hanged in the new tubing head installed and then we performed the final slickline jobs to test the tubing string and set the hydraulic packer without any major complications.

This sums up our entire work on this well, leaving it ready for production. Yes, after more than 40 years of being originally drilled, this well is still capable of producing a very significant amount of crude oil. That’s how important workover operations are, if a well has the proper maintenance, its commercial life is longer and more productive. Besides, a workover operation is not as expensive as the drilling of a new well.

I think is only fair to say that each one of the steps I described include several activities that might need a little more detailed explanation to be completely understood, but it would be extending my writing too much. I also think it’s important to let readers know the reason why I decided to write about this particular well; if you look back in step 3, I said that the fishing activities take 40-50 % of the rig time needed to finish a workover job, the special thing about this well is that we didn’t required fishing activities since the original well completion was entirely retrieved just by pulling it out of the well. So, this is one of those cases when you get very, very lucky, and after a not quite good first impression we ended up successfully completing a job estimated to be done in 20 days in only 12.5 days, congrats for us!

This is an eight hour course that discusses the fundamentals of rigging. It is designed for individuals rigging and lifting loads in Land Based Energy operations such as drilling for oil/gas and Well Servicing activities. The ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), Crosby recommendations and OSHA standards are heavily addressed. Please refer to course agenda and or objectives regarding this course for more detailed information. This course is a prerequisite for attending course CA-202. Crosby pre-approval is required for attendance.

This course builds upon the fundamentals with more emphasis devoted to inspection of the rigging hardware and slings, tips when using the Crosby rigging card, various methods for calculating load weight, determining location of the center of gravity, and how to determine sling tension and loads on the rigging gear for proper sling and hardware selection. Using Crosby products in well servicing, drilling and gin pole truck applications will also be discussed. Team workshops and quizzes will be utilized to enhance the learning experience. Please refer to course agenda and/or objectives regarding this course for more detailed information. You must have attended course CA-107 to be eligible to attend. Crosby pre-approval is required for attendance.

In order to attend this course you must have attended one of these courses (CA-201, CA-202, CA-203) the day prior or have attended the Crosby Rigging Trainer Development course within the last 4 years. This 4 Hour course is designed to prepare the attendees for conducting future classroom training utilizing the Crosby training materials and tools, while meeting all Crosby requirements and increasing the attendee’s knowledge of basic rigging and intermediate concepts. Only those individuals who submit an application and are pre-approved may attend.

What you will receive for attending the Crosby Rigger Trainer Development course CA-302:Certificate stating you are authorized to use Crosby training materials for four years.

The Offshore Oil and Gas Industry is one of the fastest growing job markets in the US. Even without a college degree, employees can make over$100,000 per year after only a few years of experience on offshore drilling rigs. Make no mistake though; these employees work hard for their money.

While the overall US unemployment rate is still greater than 8%, oil drilling companies are struggling to hire, train and retain employees to keep up with the demand of an ever increasing number of drilling rigs operating in the Gulf of Mexico.

Entry level positions on offshore drilling rigs typically start at salaries of $40-50K with full benefits (medical, dental, matched 401k, and training reimbursement) with 6 months of vacation per year. The draw-back, of course, is that you spend half the year away from your family and friends working physically demanding 12 hour days in the hot and humid Gulf of Mexico weather. Most work rotations are either 14 days on, 14 days off… or 21 days on, 21 days off.

College degrees or other industrial certifications are typically not required for entry level offshore oil rig positions and most of the larger companies will gladly pay for any training you may need to upgrade your licenses, skills or other qualifications needed to advance your career. The work is not easy, but if you have a good attitude and willingness to learn, your career opportunities in the offshore drilling industry are literally endless.

Ordinary Seaman: The ordinary seaman or “seaman” is an entry level position in the “marine department” on offshore drilling rigs and drillships. Like conventional merchant ships, most offshore drilling rigs are still considered “ships” by the United States Coast Guard and as such they are required to have a certain amount of certified and licensed “merchant mariners” on board to maintain all of the life-saving equipment, respond to maritime emergencies and perform the traditional maritime activities such as cleaning and painting. After a certain amount of time, ordinary seaman can upgrade their certificate to an “able bodied seaman” otherwise known as an “AB” where he or she is assigned additional responsibilities (such as supervising the ordinary seamen on deck). After obtaining an “AB” license and holding the AB positions for a few years, ABs can sit for an examination for a merchant marine officer’s license (3rd Mate). Ultimately, the individual can keep upgrading their license to eventually become the vessel’s captain.

Roustabout: Roustabouts are the general laborers on the rig. Their main duties including working with the crane operator to load and unload supplies for the drilling rig from supply boats, general cleaning duties, painting and assisting other departments on the rig as directed. With the right attitude and willingness to learn, roustabouts can quickly advance to higher positions within the drilling department or cross train for a promotion as an entry level electrician or engineer. Many of them also go on to earn their crane operator’s license and eventually become a deck foreman.

Catering:Most offshore oil companies use independent contract catering companies to fill positions in their catering departments (cooking, housekeeping, laundry services, etc.). While these positions typically pay less and have fewer benefits, if you’re looking for some legitimate experience in the hospitality industry, working on an offshore drilling rig with 150-200 crew members is an excellent place to learn. Catering jobs are usually much easier to get with a contract company (Art Catering, Delta Catering and Sodexo (formerly Universal Sodexo) and offer good exposure and experience to help you decide if you want to make a career out of working in the offshore oilfield.

If you’re transitioning to the offshore oil and gas industry from a previous industry (or military service) and you already have some training in one of the many job categories on an offshore drilling rig, your prospects for employment and higher salaries are even better.

If you’re looking for job openings in the offshore oil and gas industry, the Rigzone “career center”is by far the most comprehensive listing of available oil and gas jobs. Even if the job you’re seeking is not listed, you can still submit your application and resume through the job listing since it will most likely go to the same recruiter that hires entry level positions as well.

Bundled up "like a snowman" on a wind-whipped Precision Drilling rig in wintry eastern Alberta, rookie hand Dan Brook says he couldn"t feel more removed from his childhood home on the south coast of England.

"I would like to see it as a career," he says. "As of right now, definitely, I"m just going to throw myself into it as if I plan on doing it for the rest of my life and go from there."

Recent oil price stability over US$50 per barrel and optimism sparked by the announcement in November of production cuts by OPEC and non-OPEC producers have resulted in rising numbers of oilpatch workers registering for courses at Enform, the industry"s primary safety training organization.

Calgary-based Enform offers heavy equipment and drilling rig training at Nisku, just south of Edmonton, as well as classroom courses through offices in Weyburn, Sask., and in Fort St. John, B.C. But it can arrange courses throughout Canada and around the world taught by its 500 contract instructors.

The non-profit organization"s courses include Bear Awareness, Vapour Plume Ignition Training, and Drilling Equipment and Well Completion. Some of its more than 80 programs are legally required prerequisites for work on an oil and gas wellsite and must be updated regularly.

Nabors has hired 280 field staff since July, with about 45 newcomers, as it moved from three working rigs to 25, reports vice-president George McHardy.

As many as 150 are green recruits, says Ross Pickering, Precision"s senior vice-president of operations. He says each goes through a three-day orientation on the training rig before being sent out into the field, where they will be considered a trainee for about six months.

President Mark Salkeld of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, a partner in Enform, says training is vital to ensure drilling crew members avoid injury and stick with the job.

Safety was a big worry for Dan Brook despite advice from his girlfriend"s brother, who has been commuting from New Brunswick to work on a Precision rig in Western Canada for about six years.

He says orientation offered some reassurance but his confidence really grew when he reached the rig and was given the green hard hat that all rookies must wear.

The number of total active drilling rigs in the United States stayed the same this week—bringing the 18 weeks of increases to a close as pressure mounts on the Biden Administration to do more to increase crude oil production in the United States in an effort to relieve high gasoline prices.

The total rig count remains at 650, as the world watches for any signs of increased output from the United States that would allow weaning off from Russian oil—at least in part.

Independent producers and operators ramping up shale exploration and development programs are pushing the limits of conventional drilling equipment. Whether they are drilling multiple long-lateral horizontal wells from single pads, testing new bits and mud motors to boost penetration rates, or deploying next-generation rig floor and automation systems to slash “spud to sales” times, independents and their service company partners continue to find ways to improve resource play economics and crack the unconventional drilling frontier wide open.

Goodrich Petroleum is a case in point. Over the past two years, the company has transitioned from vertical Cotton Valley wells to horizontal wells in the Cotton Valley and the underlying Haynesville Shale. To unlock the shale’s vast potential, the company worked with its partners and service providers to discover the right casing points and to choose bottom hole assemblies that could build at sufficient rates to maximize lateral lengths, reports Clarke Denney, the company’s vice president of drilling. He notes that in the Haynesville Shale, Goodrich is utilizing robust directional equipment and mud cooling units to drill laterals at vertical depths of 15,000 feet, where circulating temperatures can reach upward of 340 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drilling wells in either play requires rigs with the right equipment, says Denney. He says top drives are important because they allow pumping and rotating the drill string while coming out of the hole, which is necessary at times for hole cleaning. This reduces drag and the chance of getting stuck. Top drives also maximize directional drilling performance.

Drawworks that can deliver at least 1,500 horsepower are also key, Denney adds. “We believe in high horsepower,” he stresses. “A 1,500-horsepower rig carries a premium over a 1,000-horsepower rig, but it speeds trips and puts less strain on the equipment. We get our money’s worth.”

Just as important as the drawworks and top drive is having powerful mud pumps on the rig, Denney says. “In the Eagle Ford, we would prefer to have at least 1,600-horsepower pumps, especially when drilling long laterals,” he relates. “That horsepower is needed for mud hydraulics to keep the hole clean, and to drive the downhole motor and other equipment. We have achieved up to 6,000-foot laterals to date, and we are targeting 9,000-foot long laterals in the near future.”

In many cases, it makes sense for the rig to have the ability to skid, Denney says. He explains that drilling multiple horizontal well bores on one pad reduces construction costs and rig transit times. “In the Eagle Ford, if we can skid, our drilling costs can be reduced as much as $500,000 a well,” he says.

Goodrich Petroleum is far from the only company that needs “high-spec” rigs with powerful top drives, hoisting systems and pumps. According to industry sources, rigs with larger (+1,000) horsepower ratings account for an estimated 60 percent of the active rig fleet. Moreover, rigs with at least 1,000 horsepower account for nine of every 10 rigs that are under construction or planned for the near future.

With its operational focus transitioning from the Cotton Valley trend to the Haynesville Shale, and more recently to the Eagle Ford Shale, Goodrich Petroleum is achieving consistent production and reserve growth through horizontal drilling with high-spec land rigs and advanced downhole tools. Even during the economic recession of 2009, the company increased average net daily production 24 percent and proved reserves 5 percent. Over the past four years, it has more than doubled its daily production while expanding its reserves 30 percent.

Trent Latshaw, the founder and head of Latshaw Drilling in Tulsa, can verify that the demand for 1,000-2,000 horsepower rigs is high. He says the company’s fleet, which includes 15 rigs within that range, has 100 percent utilization. In fact, Latshaw reports that the only unused rig his company has on the books is a new, 1,700-horsepower diesel electric that is still under construction.

Many of today’s high-spec rigs have closed-loop mud systems, Latshaw notes. “Closed-loop mud systems do away with the need for a reserve pit,” he says. “The systems also processes drilling fluid more efficiently. They are able to take more solids from the drilling fluid, which enables more fluid to be reused and makes the solids dryer and easier to dispose of. That becomes very important when dealing with oil-based mud, which often is used in horizontal wells.”

Latshaw encourages operators to consider using high-horsepower rigs when the class they want is difficult to obtain. “We consider our 2,000-horsepower rig to be identical to our 1,500-horsepower rigs, except for the drawworks size and the mast/substructure capacity,” he says. “The 2,000-horsepower rigs have the same footprint and move as fast as the 1,500-horsepower units, and for all practical purposes, the day rates are the same.”

He also says diesel-electric SCR rigs are comparable to AC rigs. “They have the same top drives, the same mud pumps, the same mud systems, the same engines, and the same blowout preventers,” he reports. “From the customers’ perspective, they drill wells as fast as AC rigs.”

In reference to safety, Latshaw says people matter more than technology. “You can try to design a piece of equipment that is accident proof, but safety comes down to the people on the rig floor and what their mindsets are,” he insists. “We are putting more money into training, beefing up our safety department, and having more safety coaches go around the rigs to work with the hands.”

He points out that many rigs, including several of Latshaw Drilling’s units, use automated iron roughnecks to improve safety. “Those are expensive, high-maintenance pieces of equipment,” he says. “We decided to take some of them off our rigs, then track closely to see if we had more finger and hand accidents on the rigs using manual tongs and a drill pipe spinner versus the rigs that had iron roughnecks. We have not seen a difference.”

For Joe Hudson, the president of Nabors Drilling USA, the future looks bright. “We have at least 103 AC rigs deployed at this point,” he reports. “We are in the process of building 25 more, and we always are looking for opportunities to expand further, be it in the Bakken, the Mid-Continent, West Texas, the Eagle Ford, or the Marcellus.”

Hudson says the new rigs include larger pumps, AC top drives, and tubular handling tools such as automatic catwalks and floor wrenches. “With the automatic catwalk, there is no need for a rig hand to pick pipe off the catwalks, pull it up with a hoist, and drag it to the rig floor,” he says. “Instead, the catwalk picks up pipe and elevates it to the rig floor. No one is touching the pipe or rolling pipe onto the catwalk, which keeps people away from tubulars, reducing the risk of pinch-point injuries.”

The rigs also employ advanced software. “With conventional rigs, the driller would drill ahead with a hand on the brake handle. He had only basic drilling information available to him, and his skill and his experience with the area dictated his ability to drill the well,” Hudson recalls. “Today, the software associated with smart drilling systems allows him to drill the well with a better understanding of the factors that influence drilling performance, such as delta P, hydraulic horsepower, weight on bit and rate of penetration. That translates to a faster rate of penetration.”

To ensure that its employees work as safely and efficiently as possible, Nabors has fully functional training rigs in Williston, N.D., Casper, Wy., and Tyler, Tx., where it trains personnel with no previous experience, Hudson reports. He adds that the company carefully defines the training and competency individuals need to be promoted.

The newest generation of high-spec land rigs purpose-built for horizontal drilling in unconventional resource plays features integrated subsystems to automate key processes such as pipe handling. Automated catwalks and floor wrenches not only increase operating efficiency, but also improve rig floor safety and extend pipe longevity by reducing handling damage.

Nabors’ focus on training and its preference for promoting from within help it maintain a skilled workforce, Hudson indicates. “When the market is expanding, we are able to identify promising, trained personnel within the company, give them a career path, and move them through the system. That helps with retention,” he explains.

When downturns do occur, Nabors tries to keep competent people and trainers on staff, Hudson says. By doing so during the last economic downturn, he says the company managed to go from 92 rigs in fall 2009 to 190 rigs today without compromising its personnel or safety standards.

Regardless of the market condition, Hudson says it is vital to design rigs for specific areas. “Every area is unique,” he says. “Carrying the top drive in the mast is a great way to reduce the number of loads needed, but in areas where road weights are critical, other approaches have to be adopted.”

To illustrate regional developments, Hudson points to Nabors’ B-series rigs, which were designed to accommodate pad drilling in the Bakken Shale. “We built a box-on-box substructure because we can close in that substructure, which makes it easier to winterize,” Hudson says. “Also, the way we can rotate the substructure lets the company conduct completion and production-related operations on one well while we are drilling another on the same location.”

Dealing with cold weather is also important, he observes. “We protect the rig floor from wind by putting the dog house and wind walls around it, then put heaters on the floor,” he says.

Like other contractors, Cyclone is expanding its fleet. “We built five rigs in 2010 and we are scheduled to build four more in 2011,” Hladky details. “They all have 1,600-horsepower pumps, with 270- and 500-ton AC top drives.”

Hladky says Cyclone tries to keep the rigs’ designs simple. “We engineer all the rigs similarly,” he adds. “Even if they are different sizes or different applications, the basics are all the same. That lets employees move from rig to rig efficiently and safely.”

Like the other drilling contractors, Hladky stresses the importance of good people. “A high-spec rig is nothing without good people,” he declares. “We are drilling with mechanical rigs built in the 1980s and 1990s with good people right next to and as efficiently as high-spec rigs.

“We have a young workforce, especially in the Williston Basin, which has grown so fast a lot of the people are new to their jobs,” Hladky observes. “That means we need to do more training. We have put night supervisors on location so the hands can get help and training at night.”

Cyclone Drilling also trains hands on site through a mobile training center, Hladky reports. He adds that the company hired Afterburner, a leadership consultant, to help its supervisors and managers promote safety and efficiency. “We are seeing results from that already,” he reports, noting that Afterburner emphasizes focusing leaders on teaching, rather than policing.

The combination of experience and training has paid off. “We already have seen efficiency gains from when we were first ramping up a year ago,” Hladky says. “The longer the cycle becomes, the more gains we will see.”

Cyclone skids its rigs with hydraulic feet rather than rails because rigs can get slightly off target each time they move from one well to the next. “If you are on a rail system, the error is difficult to deal with. A walking rig can move in any direction needed to position exactly over the well bore,” he says.

“We started looking at these pads primarily from a surface usage viewpoint,” Cox says. “Since the terrain in North Dakota can be difficult, we wanted to reduce the number of pads, handling facilities, power lines, and pipelines we had to build. As we dug into the process, we began to ask if we would save any money beyond the cost of building the location and moving the rigs. The batch process provided the cost savings that gave us the impetus to keep working on the project.”

To explain the process’s economic and environmental benefits to investors, Continental dubbed it ECO-Pad® and produced a video, which is now available on its website. “It’s been amazing how many people have watched the video and asked to show it to others,” says Brian Engel, Continental’s vice president of public affairs. “The walking rig is something almost no one has seen before, especially in the investor community.”

The ideal operating range varies with motor sizes and configurations, Stuart says. “Experience goes a long way in determining the right range, and it comes not only from the drilling motor provider, but also from the service companies and operators. Collaboration among the three is important for efficient drilling operations,” he advises.

Drilling contractors are expanding their fleets to accommodate growing demand for high-horsepower land rigs equipped with powerful mud pumps, heavy-duty drawworks, closed-loop mud systems, automated rig floor equipment and ‘smart’ data management systems. As with this 1,500-horsepower electric rig, these new high-spec units often are fitted with top drives to rotate the drill string to optimize drilling efficiency and reduce the chance of pipe sticking while coming out of long horizontal laterals.

“Getting hydration right can be tricky,” Anderson says. “The coagulants and flocculants typically used to dewater drilling fluid have long, fragile chains, so they are sensitive to high mechanical shear forces and temperatures. Low pressure is also a concern; it increases residence times.”

Latshaw Drilling’s Trent Latshaw says improvements in rig designs, downhole motors, and fluids handling equipment are only a small part of a larger effort to improve drilling efficiency. “Polychrystalline diamond compact bits, measurement-while-drilling tools and rotary steerables will continue to be major drivers,” he predicts.

The document applies to rotary drilling rigs, well servicing rigs, and special services as they relate to operations on location. First published in 1981, significant revisions in this edition of Recommended Practice 54 include a new section on flowback operations which is key for safe well testing, revised requirements for facility and site process hazard assessment and mitigation, and introduction of formal risk assessments as well as expanded provisions for offshore operations.

Bundled up "like a snowman" on a wind-whipped Precision Drilling rig in wintry eastern Alberta, rookie hand Dan Brook says he couldn"t feel more removed from his childhood home on the south coast of England.

"I would like to see it as a career," he says. "As of right now, definitely, I"m just going to throw myself into it as if I plan on doing it for the rest of my life and go from there."

Recent oil price stability over $50 US per barrel and optimism sparked by the announcement in November of production cuts by OPEC and non-OPEC producers have resulted in rising numbers of oilpatch workers registering for courses at Enform, the industry"s primary safety training organization.

Calgary-based Enform offers heavy equipment and drilling rig training at Nisku, just south of Edmonton, as well as classroom courses through offices in Weyburn, Sask., and in Fort St. John, B.C. But it can arrange courses throughout Canada and around the world taught by its 500 contract instructors.

The non-profit organization"s courses include Bear Awareness, Vapour Plume Ignition Training, and Drilling Equipment and Well Completion. Some of its more than 80 programs are legally required prerequisites for work on an oil and gas wellsite and must be updated regularly.

Nabors has hired 280 field staff since July, with about 45 newcomers, as it moved from three working rigs to 25, reports vice-president George McHardy.

As many as 150 are green recruits, says Ross Pickering, Precision"s senior vice-president of operations. He says each goes through a three-day orientation on the training rig before being sent out into the field, where they will be considered a trainee for about six months.

President Mark Salkeld of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, a partner in Enform, says training is vital to ensure drilling crew members avoid injury and stick with the job.

Safety was a big worry for Dan Brook despite advice from his girlfriend"s brother, who has been commuting from New Brunswick to work on a Precision rig in Western Canada for about six years.

He says orientation offered some reassurance but his confidence really grew when he reached the rig and was given the green hard hat that all rookies must wear.