workover rig hand supplier

About products and suppliers:Alibaba.com offers 966 workover rig products. About 62% % of these are oilfield drilling rig, 10%% are mine drilling rig.

A wide variety of workover rig options are available to you, such as oil well, water well and ore.You can also choose from diesel, electric and gasoline workover rig,As well as from energy & mining, construction works , and manufacturing plant. And whether workover rig is provided, {2}, or {3}.

About products and suppliers:Alibaba.com offers 966 workover rigs products. About 62% % of these are oilfield drilling rig, 10%% are mine drilling rig.

A wide variety of workover rigs options are available to you, such as oil well, water well and ore.You can also choose from diesel, electric and gasoline workover rigs,As well as from energy & mining, construction works , and manufacturing plant. And whether workover rigs is provided, {2}, or {3}.

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Manufacturer of standard & mobile rigs & carriers for oilfield applications. Includes well servicing from 14,000 ft. to 22,000 ft., workovers from 10,000 ft. to 16,000 ft. & drilling from 6000 ft. to 10,000 ft. Specifications include brakes range from 28 in. dia. x 8 in. wide to 42 in. dia. x 12 in. wide, barrels from 12 3/4 in. x 38 in. to 18 in. x 43 in., chains from 1 1/4 in. to 1 3/4 in., clutches of 24 in. with single & 2 plate air friction outboards, shafts of 5 in. dia. to 6 1/2 in. dia. & gross weights from 63,200 lbs. to 115,000 lbs. Also includes forged steel, demountable options, mufflers with spark arrestors, dry type air cleaners, transmissions with torque converters, water splash brake cooling & up to 6 axles.

include but are not limited to: Safely and efficiently performing all tasks on the rig floor and B.O.P. area under the direction and supervision of the Driller. Operating the tongs, slips, and spinners ...

Wood is currently recruiting for Roustabouts/Maintenance Hands with a fast-proven record of accomplishments to support maintenance operations in Vanderbilt, TX. Roustabout will be reporting to the maintenance ...

Manage daily rig activities to include but not limited to drilling operations, HSE concerns, supply chain support, scheduling of maintenance and personnel issues. Ensure all rig operations are carried ...

Wood is seaching for a Rig Welder with extensive experience in carbon steel welding in the oil and gas petrochemical industry working on a project in Monahans, TX. Authorization to work lawfully in the ...

Manage daily rig activities to include but not limited to drilling operations, HSE concerns, supply chain support, scheduling of maintenance and personnel issues. Ensure all rig operations are carried ...

Looking for a career opportunity? Come join Wood as a Rig Welder in Monahans, TX. Wood offers health benefits, 401k, vacation and more. The candidate must be capable of welding together components to ...

Looking for a career opportunity? Come join Wood as a Rig Welder in Kermit, TX. Wood offers health benefits, 401k, vacation and more. The candidate must be capable of welding together components to fabricate ...

The schedule for this role will be Monday - Friday, 7 am - 3:30 pm Work closely with the Driller and the Rotary Helpers (Floor Hands) to ensure that drilling rig operations are performed safely and efficiently ...

Direct the casing crew while on the rig location, taking responsibility that all equipment and tools are prepared and on location as they should be. Responsible for job packets and ensuring all jobs are ...

include servicing, troubleshooting, repairing and/or commissioning rig control systems, drilling performance related products, such as Z-TQ, REVit, ROCKit, and other SMART drilling related tools, integrated ...

Workover rigs, also called pulling unit rigs, are specialized oil rigs set up for inserting or pulling pipe tubing in and out of wells. Workover crews are called when an oil well has been drilled, is undergoing repair or is being retired, as indicated by Schlumberger.

These crews are relatively small compared to other rig crews and consist of tool pushers, operators or relief operators, derrick men and floormen or roughnecks. The average workover rig salary overall was ​$65,039​ as reported by Simply Hired in 2022. Available workover rig jobs and descriptions can be found on the Rigzone website.

The acting supervisor on a workover rig is called the tool pusher. The main task of a pusher is to hire, fire and supervise contracting work crews. When contractors have an issue on site, the first person they report concerns to is the tool pusher. Pushers need to have an intimate knowledge of how each and every part of a rig works, both individually and as an overall part of the drilling operation as a whole.

If equipment fails or needs to be reordered, the tool pusher talks with suppliers to get the right parts out on site with a minimum of downtime for the rig. The pusher is responsible for the overall safety of a rig. If the tool pusher has any safety concerns, he has the power to halt production until the concern is resolved.

The operator/relief operator is next in order of responsibility to the tool pusher on a workover rig. The main task of an operator is to control the crane and derrick that hauls pipe in and out of the bored well. In smaller crews, the operator is also the one who drives the rig truck. When laying pipe into a well, the operator directs the truck or derrick to the optimum spot next to the bore opening.

The operator then instructs the derrick hands and roughnecks where to place the bore pipe for easy access by the crane or by hand-loading methods. During a well breakdown or repair, the operator directs the crew hands in storage of extracted pipelines. Because the operators work most closely with derrick hands and roughnecks, they are typically responsible for selection and maintenance of their immediate workover rig crew.

In the pulling unit rig crew hierarchy, the derrick hands come after the operator/relief operators. The main responsibility of a derrick hand is everything that is above ground on the rig. During laying operations, derrick hands assist the operators/relief operators in inserting boring into the well. During repair or breakdown, they assist the operator in pulling pipe out of the well and storing it properly.

In between laying, derrick hands have other responsibilities as well, depending on the size of the crews. In smaller crews, Derrick hands also see to the maintenance of the rig-based electric and diesel generators necessary to power rig equipment.

At the bottom of the pulling unit rig crew in terms of seniority is the floorhand or roughneck. The main task of a roughneck is to perform any kind of tasks asked by either the derrick hand or the operator. These tasks can range from assisting with laying new pipe or removal of old tubing, general construction, to moving new equipment, such as generators. Most crew members on a work-about start their career as a floorhand or roughneck before working their way up to more senior positions.

The following is a list of seasonal work gear worn by drilling rig workers. Savanna supplies rig employees with coveralls, hard hat, safety glasses & impact gloves (1 pair).

Drilling rig crews are generally made up of six (6) people: Rig Manager, Driller, Derrickhand, Motorhand, Floorhand, and Leasehand. Each crew works 12 hours shifts as the rig operates 24 hours per day, and each position is vital to the operation of the rig.

Work in the oil and gas services industry is seasonal. Because of the weight of rigs and their equipment, and the remote location of wells, these locations are often only accessible when the ground conditions can tolerate heavy loads. Therefore, wells are typically drilled and serviced in the winter when the ground is frozen solid, or in the summer, when the ground has thawed and dried sufficiently. During the spring and fall, when the ground is in a transitional state, it is too soft to move equipment on and easily damaged. For this reason, provincial governments implement “road bans” prohibiting heavy loads from operating in certain areas. During this time, rig work is slower, and many rigs are shut down and their crews sent home. Be prepared to be off for anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks without pay during this time. However, rigs that are shut down are usually in need of maintenance, and there may be opportunities for employees who would like to help in this regard. Employees may be eligible for Employment Insurance benefits during seasonal shutdowns.

To work on a drilling rig, you must be able to get to and from all of your work locations.  As drilling often occurs in remote areas, having reliable transportation is considered mandatory for non-camp locations. Drilling rigs commonly operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week with either three crews working 8 hour shifts or two crews working 12-hour shifts. Most often day crews and night crews will alternate weekly, so each crew has a chance to work during both the day and night. Most crews will work 14 days straight with 7 days off in-between. The typical living situation while working falls into three categories: Non-Camp, Full Camp and Texas Camp.

Non-Camp: When the rig site is near a town, non-camp conditions normally apply. Crews will stay in hotel rooms and receive a per day living allowance for food and accommodation. The living allowance is paid out on your pay cheque based on days worked, therefore you will need to be able to pay for your food and accommodation out of your own pocket.

Full-Camp: When a rig site is in a remote location, crews may stay in a full camp. In a full-camp all food and full accommodation is provided. Once at the camp, the crew travels to and from the rig in the crew truck. Almost all camp work is available in the winter only.

Texas Camp: These camps are typically located nearby the rig location.  Crews are responsible for supplying their own bedding, cooking supplies, groceries and toiletries.  While staying at a texas camp, a daily allowance is provided for food and toiletries.  The living allowance is paid out on your pay cheque based on days worked, therefore you will need to be able to pay for your food and toiletries out of your own pocket.

Once you have completed your orientation, you will immediately receive any other necessary training. This involves Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG), along with an in-depth General Safety Orientation. This training is mandatory and provided by Savanna at no cost to the employee. Job-related, hands on training is conducted in the field through Savanna’s Rig Mentoring Program.

While it is not mandatory to have this certification, each service rig crew is required to have two members who are certified in Standard First Aid with CPR level C. Therefore, obtaining a certification beforehand is a great way to improve your chances of being hired.

Here"s how cdl is used on rig hand resumes:Learned more of forklift operation as well as extensive CDL Driving experience.Skills UsedOperation of various equipment and tools.

Here"s how h2s is used on rig hand resumes:Worked & certified around H2S Accomplishments I was acknowledged multiple times in big safety meetings for showing my awareness of safety.

Here"s how heavy equipment is used on rig hand resumes:Remove and replace well heads, able to work safely around heavy equipment and flammables, operate machine shop tools safely.

Here"s how job safety analysis is used on rig hand resumes:Experience with safety meetings and Job Safety Analysis as per company standard and policies.

Here"s how safety meetings is used on rig hand resumes:Help co-workers repair rig, Participate in daily safety meetings to help avoid incidents, Help rig stay clean and keep drilling

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Rig Hand templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Rig Hand resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Here"s how flow lines is used on rig hand resumes:Monitored issues with the well such as closed valves along the flow lines in order to prevent pressure buildup.

General maintenance is the regular check-up and repairs of machinery, buildings, and other mechanical equipment. General maintenance is performed by repair workers who are skilled to handle the day-to-day defects produced in the machinery. General maintenance aims to make sure the items remain in the best operational conditions. Usually, a set of planned activities are performed regularly by an expert to monitor the maintenance.

Here"s how general maintenance is used on rig hand resumes:Perform general maintenance of draw works, load and off-load pipe and assists in rig movement.

Here"s how swab is used on rig hand resumes:Help on Swab Rig/Fix Leaks/Hook up Wells/Roustabout/Read Meters/Keep Records of Wells/Walk Pipelines/Soap & Flow Wells/Maintain the Running of Four Compressors

In order to solve low degree of work over automation, labor-intensive job dangerous, poor working environment issues, Shengji has developed a series of mechanical work over system, including workover automatic system, minor workover automatic system and snubbing operation equipment.

Oil well workover is a high-tech, high-risk work. The conventional oilfield workover rig has problems such complicated operating procedures and high labor intensity. Shengji, in cooperation with the Shengli Drilling Corporation, have designed an oilfield workover rig automation system.

The system includes double monkey board pipes ranging robot, bolted beam system, machine hand, power catwalk, power elevator, hydraulic chuck, power control and monitoring system. The system uses one-button automated operation. The operation only needs one driller, one wellhead operator and one patrol personnel.

The oilfield automatic workover rig has a high degree of automation adopting modular integration and advanced robot closed-loop control technology. It functions as self-diagnosis, leakage and short circuit protection and fault alarming, etc. It has remote monitoring capability.

The automatic workover rig greatly increases the automation of workover operations, reduces the number of operators, decreases workers’ labor intensity. The technology is advanced, safe and reliable.

2+ years previous oilfield and/or workover rig experience preferred. Work on floors or derricks on the rig as needed. May offer relocation package DOE.

The Crew Worker, under the direction of the Rig Operator, performs activities and operates hand and power tools to perform maintenance and repairs to oil or gas…

*Floor Hands - *minimum experience required 6 months. *Derrick Hands - *minimum experience required 1 year. Job Requirements: *Job requirements include but are…

Looking for experienced Floorhands for Workover Rigs in North Dakota. Full benefits, competitive pay with desirable schedule of TWO WEEKS ON / TWO WEEKS OFF.

Manages tools on the workover rig floor and assists in daily maintenance. Picks up/lays down pipe and latches tubing in elevators. This is a full-time position.

Manages tools on the workover rig floor and assists in daily maintenance. Must have a minimum of 1 year of experience as a workover rig floorhand to be…

 Minimum 5 years production rig workover experience. Rig workover: 5 years (Preferred). The Gorilla Jack is designed as a supplement to workover rigs and is…

The successful candidate will have an outstanding track record of success in workover rig experience in operating heavy equipment while ensuring communication…

Crew Member positions include Rig Trainee (no experience required), and Floor hand, Derrick hand, Relief Crew Chief, and Crew Chief, which are experience…

As a rig hand, you will need to safely complete tasks and operations as the onsite supervisor instructs. You will be responsible for all aspects of maintaining…

Spot in, rig up, and rig down well service unit (rig). Minimum of 1 year operating rig. Workover rig experience (minimum 6 months verified experience).

May be required to work floors or operate the rig when needed. Performs all well-servicing tasks from an elevated position up to 75 feet off the ground on the…

The U.S. oil industry is reaching some of its highest production levels in history. It’s no surprise that American oil and gas companies added 4.5 billion barrels of crude oil and lease condensate proved reserves in 2012 — a 15.4% increase from 2011 and the largest year-over-year increase since 1970. These days, the oil and gas industry helps supply 9.8 million jobs, and there are enough oil reserves on hand to meet at least another 53.3 years of production.

One of the most key pieces of oil drilling rig systems is the rig substructure. The first step in setting up a drill rig, setting up the rig substructure involves unloading equipment and moving it to the location where it will remain during drilling. From there, personnel must assemble, weld and level the various pieces of equipment. During this process, personnel can become injured due to a number of hazards that exist.

Are your personnel being as safe as they should be while setting up the drill rig substructure? To improve the safety of your oil drilling equipment, be sure to follow these three impossible-to-ignore tips:

First and foremost, all personnel must be properly trained in safety procedures and job hazards for setting up the rig substructure. Whether the training takes place during pre-job safety meetings or during JSA briefings, no one should be working on your drilling rig systems without undergoing safety training first.

When setting up the rig substructure, personnel should be wearing protective equipment like eye and face protection for welding, long-sleeved clothing and more. Welding, in particular, can be very dangerous work. Ensure that your workers never look directly into a welding flame.

This is a family owned company operated by people with over 40 years in the oilfield equipment industry. We have over 100,000 square foot of warehouse and offer a wide selection of well service, work over, and drilling rig tools and parts to accommodate the industry"s many varied needs.

We can create complete rig tool packages, as well as provide equipment locating. We provide our customers with additional expertise to aid in choosing the best products for their application. Our team has skill, experience and knowledge in everything from operating the brake handle to operating oil and gas wells. We understand The tool and supply needs of the petroleum industry.

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 floor wrench also improves safety, Hudson says. “Normally, a roughneck would make up pipe with manual tongs,” he notes. “The floor wrench engages the pipe and makes it up with an automatic tool, which keeps his hands safe. It also increases pipe longevity by reducing damage from the manual tongs.”

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.

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.”

The company also tries to put equipment in convenient places. “For example, rather than putting the oil storage tanks in a separate building, we put them with the engines,” Hladky says. “That is where our hands will use them.”

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.

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.

No matter how hard operators push their equipment, the fundamental goal of fluids handling systems remains the same: keeping the drilling mud in good condition. But with the cost of drilling fluid additives and oil-based mud on the rise, KEM-TRON Technologies President Michael Rai Anderson says it is becoming increasingly beneficial to manage mud through solids control treatment systems. “Fluids handling companies have responded,” Anderson states. “We are finding ways to remove contaminants from the drilling mud while recovering as much usable material as possible.”

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.