nabors drilling mud pump brands

Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) is an adaptive process used to more precisely control the annular pressure profile throughout the wellbore while drilling. Converting conventional atmospheric drilling to a closed circulating loop system enables the driller to optimize mud weight and rate of penetration (ROP), more quickly detect influx and fluid loss, and discriminate wellbore ballooning and breathing. This results in lower mud product cost, less stuck pipe, and potentially fewer casing strings.

The MPD process is executed by controlling flow conditions to maintain bottom-hole pressure according to a modeled pore pressure and fracture gradient drilling window. While the benefits of conventional MPD techniques are well known offshore, the economics of engineering, mobilization and rig-up, and additional specialized personnel requirements are not supported in cost-sensitive drilling programs such as unconventional land drilling.

Nabors’ fit-for-purpose MPD equipment and integrated rig services enables a new concept to leverage today’s advanced land rig infrastructure including drives, manifolds, tanks, pumps, and gas handling equipment. Engineering and integrating MPD capabilities into the rig with unique automated workflows unlocks advantages in capital requirements, eliminates the need for pre-job surveys and engineering, and minimizes high mobilization and rig-up costs.

Through the advanced integration and automation of MPD services, the need for third-party service providers is also eliminated. Benefits include increased safety, less HSE exposure, lower cost, reduced pad footprint, more efficient rig moves, and more transparent performance analytics. For all of these reasons, scalability of MPD services is now more cost-effective for land drilling operations.

A high percentage of mud motors are considered to be run out of spec by industry standards. The challenge has been to build a reliable motor that can withstand the stresses of more weight on bit, differential pressure, and rotary RPM.

Jan. 25, 2023 -- Nabors’ recent acquisition of the engineering technology firm, MindMesh, includes the downhole simulation and modeling technologies that the MindMesh team has developed. Additionally, MindMesh co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Raju Gandikota...

Continental Emsco Drilling Products, Inc., which consisted of Emsco drilling machinery and Wilson mobile rigs, was purchased by National-Oilwell, Inc on July 7, 1999. To our knowledge, no pumps have been manufactured and sold under the Emsco brand name since National-Oilwell acquired them.

Fairbanks Morse pumps are currently manufactured in Kansas City, Kansas. Fairbanks Morse is a division of Pentair ever since August, 1997 when Pentair purchased the General Signal Pump Group.

Gaso pumps are manufactured by National Oilwell Varco. Gaso was acquired as "Wheatley Gaso" by National-Oilwell in the year 2000. At the time, Wheatley Gaso was owned by Halliburton.

Skytop Brewster pumps are no longer available as new pumps. Skytop Brewster(Cnsld Gold), a unit of Hansen PLC"s Consolidated Gold Fields subsidiary, was acquired while in bankruptcy by National-Oilwell, Inc. in November, 1999.

The Baoji/Bomco F1000 Triplex mud pump has a max. working pressure of 5,000PSI and a 6-3/4" liner size. This model is the first choice for the medium and deep dr... More Info

The Baoji/Bomco F1600HL Triplex mud pump has a max. working pressure of 7,5000PSI and a displacement of 46.5L/S with 6" liner size. This model is the f... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Emsco/Bomco 1600 Mud Pump, Unitized 1600 Mud Pump Powered by Two GE 752 Motors Charging Pump, Liner Flush Pump, Relief Valve, Mud Gauge, Etc. ....Call For Price More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

Mud Pumps - 1 - Rebuilt Gardner Denver PZ-9 Mud Pump Package, New Caterpillar C-27, 1050 HP diesel engine. Belt-driven. comes with pulsation dampener, discharge block, precharge, li... More Info

Mud Pumps - 1 of 3 used Gardner Denver PZ-8 triplex mud pumps. This would be a good rebuildable core. We also have new, rebuilt and good used pumps and packages available for sale ... More Info

Mud Pumps - Mud Pump Parts & Complete Units: Liners, Pistons, Rubbers, Rods, Valves, Seats, Springs, Inserts (Bean, BJ, CAT, EMSCO, Ellis Williams, FMC, Failing, GASO, Gardner Denver... More Info

The land drilling market worldwide is structured primarily as a rental market, not a sales market, where land drilling companies lease their rigs to E&P companies for an agreed period of time – weeks, months, or years – at a day-rate. The rigs are then used to drill wells and execute the E&P’s drilling programs.

Drilling opportunities are analysed and explored in order, leaving a series of dry holes, until a discovery is made. It is rare for an E&P company to actually own the rigs which they operate, but there are some exceptions such as Chesapeake, who will purchase their own fleet of rigs.

Investors require a minimum level of return for their investment dollars in drilling operations, and typically equate cost with risk. These turnkey drilling contracts may limit risk by guaranteeing a minimum number of wells that can be drilled with the rig. The contract will also outline how the rig can be used – including the pieces of equipment, when to change pieces, temperature and pressure tolerances and the weight of mud.

The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) lists 547 members in the category of Land Drilling Contractors. According to Statista, the key US land drilling contractors are: Nabors Industries Ltd, Helmerich & Payne Inc, Patterson-UTI Energy Inc, Precision Drilling Corporation and Pioneer Energy Services Corp.

Nabors operates the world’s largest land drilling rig fleet, with around 500 rigs operating in over 25 countries – in almost every significant O&G basin on the planet. It also has the largest number of high-specification rigs (including new AC rigs and refurbished SCR rigs) and custom rigs, built to withstand challenging conditions such as extreme cold, desert and many complex shale plays.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, H&P is a global business with land operations across the US, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. It is engaged primarily in the drilling of O&G wells for E&P companies, and recognised for its innovative FlexRig technology.

Patterson-UTI operates land based drilling rigs, primarily in O&G producing regions of the continental US, and western Canada. The company also provides pressure pumping services to US E&P companies and specialist technology, notably pipe handling components, to drilling contractors globally.

Precision is an oilfield services company and Canada’s largest drilling rig contractor, with over 240 rigs in operation worldwide. The Company has two segments. The Contract Drilling Services segment operates its rigs in Canada, the United States and internationally. The Completion and Production Services segment provides completion and workover services and ancillary services to O&G E&P companies in Canada and the US.

Pioneer operates a modern fleet of more than 24 top performing drilling rigs throughout onshore O&G producing regions of the US and Colombia. The company also offers production services include well servicing, wireline, and coiled tubing services – supported by 100 well-servicing rigs, and more than 100 cased-hole, open-hole and offshore wireline units.

Together these five companies dominate the US rental market. Other smaller but prominent contractors include: Parker Drilling, Unit Corp, Independence Contract Drilling, Seventy Seven Energy, Schramm and Ensign Drilling. Beyond these players, the market is highly fractured, with many “mom & pop” style drillers.

In Texas, generally considered to be the centre of US land drilling, RigData reports that there are currently 678 active rigs – split between Helmerich & Payne (160), Patterson-UTI (85), Nabors (64), Precision Drilling (39) and 77 other drillers (330).

Most new onshore rigs, both drilling and work over rigs, are built by OEMs in China. In the US, the larger vertically integrated land drillers have in-house manufacturing operations, so they will outsource some equipment construction, but assemble the new rigs at their own facilities. The leading provider of US newbuild rigs is National Oilwell Varco.

For the successful execution of your projects, it is important to find an appropriate company with a good track record. We help you in connecting with the top mud pump manufacturers and companies and get the best quotation.

The most widely used mud pumps across the industry are Triplex Reciprocating Pumps. Their application has gained immense popularity with time because they are 30% lighter than duplex reciprocating pumps with relatively less operational cost. Moreover, through these pumps the discharge of mud is smooth and they are capable of moving large volume of mud at higher pressure.

Yes. We help you find the best mud pumps irrespective of your location. We simplify your search by connecting you with top mud pump manufacturers and mud pump companies in your location, according to your budget and business requirement.

The most widely used mud pumps across the industry are Triplex Reciprocating Pumps. Their application has gained immense popularity with time because they are 30% lighter than duplex reciprocating pumps with relatively less operational cost. Moreover, through these pumps the discharge of mud is smooth and they are capable of moving large volume of mud at higher pressure.

The different parts of a mud pump are Housing itself, Liner with packing, Cover plus packing, Piston and piston rod, Suction valve and discharge valve with their seats, Stuffing box (only in double-acting pumps), Gland (only in double-acting pumps), and Pulsation dampener. A mud pump also includes mud pump liner, mud pump piston, modules, hydraulic seat pullers along with other parts.

The wearing parts of a mud pump should be checked frequently for repairing needs or replacement. The wearing parts include pump casing, bearings, impeller, piston, liner, etc. Advanced anti-wear measures should be taken up to enhance the service life of the wearing parts. This can effectively bring down the project costs and improve production efficiency.

The Derrickhand mixes chemicals, monitors pump manifolds and communicates with the Engineer and Driller. A Derrickhand works with the mud systems, monitors…

Training:* provide training to other engineers in all areas. HVAC:* journeyman level skills regarding refrigeration equipment, ice machines, and heat pumps.

Assist with geotechnical analysis and design pertaining to facilities (pump stations, compressor stations, valve sites, etc.), in terms of foundation design and…

Regularly maintain and inspect mud systems(mud levels, pumps, shakers, and tanks). This includes measuring mud weight and viscosity, mixing chemicals, and…

Regularly maintain and inspect mud systems (mud levels, pumps, shakers, and tanks). This includes measuring mud weight and viscosity, mixing chemicals, and…

Regularly maintain and inspect mud systems (mud levels, pumps, shakers, and tanks). This includes measuring mud weight and viscosity, mixing chemicals, and…

Safely use hand and power tools to repair, clean, and maintain pumps and pump appearance. Minimum three months experience and/or training maintaining industrial…

Ability to pick up and secure pumps, hoses, and fire extinguishers when no longer needed. Knowledge with the maintenance and operation of other firefighting…

Obtain recent mud report and cross reference hole geometries and pump data. Mud Logging Experience is Preferred, Will Train an Exceptional Candidate.*.

Regularly maintain and inspect mud systems (mud levels, pumps, shakers, and tanks). This includes measuring mud weight and viscosity, mixing chemicals, and…

Carry out maintenance and repair on electrical components of marine equipment, i.e. thruster motors and auxiliaries, ballast pumps, control panels, cranes, etc.

Performs mud pump repairs and general pump maintenance, including disassemble, reassemble or oil change and filters. Follow the client’s daily drilling plans.

In the chemical / mud pits / mud pumps. Overview: The Derrickhand is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and support function of the mud module (sack…

Nabors Industries owns and operates one of the world"s largest land-based drilling rig fleet and is a provider of offshore drilling rigs in the United States and multiple international markets. Nabors also provides directional drilling services, performance tools, and innovative technologies for its own rig fleet and those of third parties. Leveraging our advanced drilling automation capabilities, Nabors’ highly skilled workforce continues to set new standards for operational excellence and transform our industry.

Nabors is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibiting discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, religion, age, color, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. To learn more about our Fair Employment practices, please refer to the Nabors Code of Conduct.

Overview: The Derrickhand is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation and support function of the mud module (sack area, mud pumps and mud pit / shakers). The Derrickhand works under the direction / supervision of the Driller, but reports directly to the Rig Manager.

Bashneft-Drilling: Our rig fleet is currently located in three oil producing provinces of Russia – the Urals-Volga region, the Khanty-Mansiisk Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO), and the Nenetsk Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Our rig fleet capabilities include:

Urals-Volga region Drilling rigs with a capacity ranging from 140 tons to 200 tons, and mobile rigs from 60 – 100 tons, with  an annual drilling rate of 200,000 m, and a sidetracking rate of 20-25 wells.

200 tons capacity BU-3000UK echelon type rigs and MBU-125 mobile rigs with a total annual drilling rate of 300,000m, and a sidetracking rate of 50 wells.

Drilling rigs to drill 1,400-1,600m deep injection wells for reservoir pressure maintenance. BU-4000 E Rigs for drilling exploration wells with a depth of up to 4,500m.

EDC: EDC owns and operates a fleet of 255 land drilling & sidetrack rigs, plus 427 land workover & well service rigs. This is the largest fleet in the Eastern Hemisphere. Our drilling rigs have lifting capabilities between 80 and 450 tonnes. 25% of our fleet is heavy at over 320 Tonnes. We own 3 jackups which operate in the Russian, Kazakh & Turkmen waters of the Caspian Sea. We have a fourth up jackup under construction in Astrakhan. Our jackups can operate in water depths from 5m to 107m.

IDS: Our drilling rigs fleet includes 125 ton and 140 ton capacity drilling units manufactured by Kungur Heavy Machine Building Plant and the Bezhetsk Pilot Research Development and Fabrication Plant. Our rigs have the following drilling capabilities:

Nabors: All of our drilling units feature the most advanced drilling equipment and technologies. Each rig is fitted with a Top Drive System (TDS), a “Pragma” pipe handler, ST-80 and TM-120 power tongs, an “Epoch” drilling monitoring system, as well as many other of the industry’s latest innovations. All these modern technologies allow drilling operations to be performed faster, reduce downtime, and make it possible to use the latest technologies and technically innovative solutions from other service companies that offer well drilling support. Most importantly, they enable safer drilling operations.

Weatherford: Weatherford’s rig fleet is diverse and capable of performing many tasks for our customers. Weatherford drilling capabilities in Russia are represented by three companies: Nizhnevartovskburneft (NvBN), NPRS-1 and Orenburgburneft (OBN). I would like to mention that Weatherford was recognized as the best sidetracking contractor by representatives of major oil and gas companies at Neftegazservice 2013 Conference.

All in all, we have 61 rigs operating in Russia with the load capacity ranging from 125 to 400 tons. These rigs are designed for deep well drilling and sidetracking. Almost 60% of all the rigs are of Russian origin. Our rig fleet comprises 23 pad drilling rigs, 22 mobile rigs and 16 conventional drilling rigs. All rigs feature four- stage mud cleaning systems of international brand, and many of them are equipped with triplex pumps and top drives.

Bashneft-Drilling: Old rigs that reached the end of their service life will be completely removed from operation during the course of 2013 and 2014. The average age of the remaining rig fleet (38 units) will then be 12 years, taking into account the upgrading of BU-3000 EUK rig. With new rigs to be procured in 2014 and 2015, the average rig age will be reduced to under 10 years.

The ongoing modernization of our existing rigs, and the procurement of new rigs include the modernization of BU-3000 EUK rig (replacing the derrick headboard) in KhMAO, procurement of 320 ton echelon type rig for drilling at TiT field in NAO, the procurement of 160 ton rig for drilling in Bashkiria, as well as the purchasing of modern design pumps and solids control equipment for our existing drilling units in Bashkiria.

ERIELL Group: The average age of ERIELL’s rig fleet is under 5 years. Regular fleet renewal allows us not only to keep such a low average age level, but even to put it down and ensure that ERIELL has the youngest fleet in the industry. The use of modern equipment not only enables us to reach targets that have been previously beyond our technical capabilities, but also improve a number of drilling parameters in more mature fields, including well construction speed and quality. We achieve this by reducing non-productive time and using more advanced equipment.

Nabors: All rigs used by Nabors for our operations in Russia are either new, or have been fully refurbished and modernized prior to being brought into the country. So we currently do not have that issue.

Weatherford: Indeed, the average age of rigs operated by Weatherford, Russia is 13 years. At the same time, 30% of our rigs are over 20 years old. Their technical condition varies from rig to rig but generally these rigs have been recently overhauled and equipped with advanced foreign-made mud cleaning systems. In 2013, several rigs underwent major upgrades and started a new life. In addition to that, we have recently purchased three brand new ZJ-30 rigs. In 2014, we’ll focus on feasibility studies and developing a relevant strategy.

Bashneft-Drilling: After the drilling equipment modernization program in Bashneft-Bureniye is completed, company’s rig fleet will increase to 50 rig units, with 28 rigs to be in operation in Urals-Volga region.

EDC: After we complete our drilling equipment modernization program, we will have increased our rig fleet to 50 units, with 28 rigs in operation in Urals-Volga region.

Nabors: Yes, we do have such plans. Worldwide, several drilling rigs are currently being manufactured for our company. As for Russia specifically – procurement, manufacturing and importation of drilling rigs will be guided by the specific demands of our customers. Our company is fully committed satisfying our customers’ requirements!

4.    Market experts are concerned with the shortage of drilling capacity we may face in the future mainly due to the old rig decommissioning rate being higher than the replacement rate. This may have a negative impact on future growth and capacity. Do you share this concern? And if so, how do we avoid this scenario?

Bashneft-Drilling: We are implementing the necessary measures to not only maintain, but rather expand our presence in drilling services market. Furthermore, our company meets up to 90% of demand from OAO ANK Bashneft, who are our main customer in drilling services. However, I personally share the above concern with regard to the overall drilling services market. This issue can be mitigated by securing long term contracts with customers (operators and oil companies), in which the contract price takes into account the investment required for rig fleet modernization and upgrade.

IDS: These concerns may only come true if the trend continues with customers (operators and oil and gas producers) drawing down the cost of drilling and related services, as drilling contractors need to make sufficient profit to be able to invest in the renewal and modernization of their drilling capacities.

Nabors: Yes, generally there is a worldwide shortage of rigs. In Russia specifically this problem is related to the quickly ageing rig fleet, whereas elsewhere in the world it is due to the rapidly increasing drilling activity in the Middle East. We offer our customers the best solution for this – signing long term contracts well in advance to allow us, as a drilling company, to ensure timely fabrication of a custom-tailored drilling rig to fit the requirements of a specific contract and all the drilling specifications.

Weatherford: I fully agree with the experts; we are already facing a shortage of drilling capacity. Drilling contractors are not able to meet all the demands of their customers, especially those for advanced equipment which require massive investment.

One of the solutions may be mandatory inclusion of an investment component in well construction contracts. This initiative could be beneficial for both parties as a customer gets state-of-the-art equipment meeting the highest standards, while a drilling contractor, never making large profits, is provided with both operational and investment opportunities.

The second option is granting low-rate loans for purchase of equipment coupled with investment support from the state. If this option were to be applied to Russian-made equipment only, it would be beneficial both for the drilling contractor and the manufacturer.

The third option is long-term partner agreements between operators and drilling contractors on joint development of strategic and promising fields with new drilling rigs and investments made on equal terms.

5.    Russian rig manufacturers have to compete with European, North American and Asian manufacturers. How do you select new equipment to fully meet your current and future drilling demands?

Bashneft-Drilling: Besides the purchasing price, one of the important factors is rig maintenance cost during both warranty and post-warranty periods. We are talking here about equipment reliability and the availability of spare parts and components.

ERIELL Group: Recently Russian oilfield equipment manufacturers could hardly compete with those from Europe, North America and China. However, over the last few years key investments have been made in Russian oilfield equipment manufacturing, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality and range of manufactured products. When making decisions about placing orders for drilling rigs, the quality of the equipment and the implementation of advanced technologies are among our key criteria. This is why the most recent rigs in our fleet have been manufactured by Uralmash.

Nabors: We have implemented a uniform standard for drilling equipment throughout the company, and most of our equipment is made by world’s leading manufacturers and indeed our own subsidiary manufacturing companies. Our equipment selection process is based on three main criteria: safety, reliability and fit-for-purpose functionality. These criteria were instrumental for us in reaching our current results.

Our Company has developed solid tender procedures for drilling equipment based on expert reviews that facilitate selection of specifications which fully meet tender requirements both in terms of prices and quality.

Bashneft-Drilling: If by the term “unconventional deposits” we mean fields with shale oil or bituminous oil, then a shortage of modern heavy drilling rigs is only a small limiting factor for the development of such fields when compared with other important factors such as the lack of readily available proven technologies to develop these types of oil reserves. Talking about offshore fields, the shortage of relevant drilling equipment represents a serious restricting factor for offshore field development.

EDC: There is no doubt that should the Bazhenov prove to be economical, then heavier rigs with top drives and mud pumping systems are needed to drill these development wells. The Bazhenov is 500 metres deeper than current productive zones and must have horizontal wells to drain the oil from this shale oil zone. Such heavy rigs would be in addition to the current rig fleet.

ERIELL Group: Oil and gas production is becoming more complicated every year. Operators have to drill deeper wells and in more challenging geological conditions. These drilling challenges can be resolved through joint cooperation by drilling people, oilfield equipment manufacturers and technology development companies, so that the new drilling equipment and technologies meet the most demanding industry standards and requirements. We always work very closely with the Uralmash manufacturing plant – one of Russia’s largest drilling equipment manufacturers. Their ability to promptly adapt existing and advanced designs of oilfield equipment to meet new requirements makes us believe that Russian made equipment will allow us to successfully cope with both today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

Nabors: In Russia our company works in oil fields which contain various types of reserves, and all our projects have certain specific features. We are using the best technologies from all over the world to successfully implement challenging projects that include fields with hard to recover and unconventional reserves. Our highly experienced engineers are using the opportunity to upgrade and modernize our rigs to fit the requirements of specific field development programs. However, such projects need to be planned in advance as they require certain time frames to implement correctly.

Weatherford: The shortage of 250-ton and heavier rigs in many companies may certainly have a significant impact on development of shale oil reserves. For this purpose, Weatherford Russia can offer four pad rigs and twelve heavy duty stationary rigs. It is known that some good decisions were made by local and international rig manufacturers to motivate drilling contractors to buy such rigs and thus avoid imbalance on the market.

Customers developing, or planning to develop the Bazhenov formation, have clear requirements to surface equipment (pump units, mud cleaning systems, TDS, BOP units) and their age, thus limiting the number of existing rigs fit for such projects.

Bashneft-Drilling: In Bashkiria between 2103 and 2014, horizontal well completions accounted for 85%, compared to 55% in 2012. Successful drilling of such wells largely depend on equipment reliability and failure-free operation, and the involvement of reputable service companies to provide support in drilling fluids, telemetry systems and drill bits.

Nabors: Our drilling activity in Russia is mainly carried out in fields with challenging geological conditions, featuring severe climatic conditions and remote locations. Challenging projects for us represent a good opportunity to develop our own capabilities and skills. We are ready to offer solutions that are able to tackle the most challenging of fields. Such solutions are based on our most valuable resources – highly qualified personnel and a data base using information from our rigs from all over the world.

Weatherford: First of all, we offer new 320-ton pad rigs, Top Drives from leading manufacturers, powerful Weatherford pumps with the capacity of 1600 hp, advanced four-stage mud cleaning systems on all rigs and new heavy duty drilling tools.

I should also note a number of technologies offered by Weatherford, which have already proven their efficiency in Russian and international projects, e.g. Drilling with Casing (DwCTM), Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), Rotary Steerable Systems (RSS) and Motary Steerable

Nabors: As indicated by industry’s statistics, with the exception of the recession years, production of hydrocarbons increases every year in order to satisfy the growing demand of the world economy, which logically makes us assume that drilling volumes will also increase. From the beginning of 2014 we have been witnessing an increased activity in this sector and have already received several requests from large-size oil companies.

Weatherford: Major Russian operators estimate that in 2014 the scope of production drilling will grow as compared to 2013. Moreover, a number of drilling companies are actively upgrading and expanding their fleet, which also indicates growth. The trends for the near future will include extensive drilling, more complex well designs and logistics and longer well construction periods. Thus drilling scopes may decrease only in case of global financial recession or similar force majeure events.

9.    What improvements in the Russian drilling industry have you noticed recently? What changes will we face in the nearest future (in drilling and rig manufacturing technologies, HSE, operation techniques, etc.)?

Bashneft-Drilling: The historic reckless ambition of the industry to drill more meters at all costs has evolved into an industry that requires an intellectual approach and the use of advanced technologies. This came about due to the requirements of customers that included the design of a new wells, with a focus on its quality, drilling and speed. On this basis, the number of wells drilled using quality drilling mud and telemetry systems is always increasing and the customer performs real time monitoring of the well drilling process. One of the latest drilling technologies involves drilling with coiled tubing used as a continuous drill string, to allow underbalanced drilling in nonproductive intervals.

EDC: As mentioned above the number of horizontal metres drilled continues to increase and in 2013 21% of all metres drilled in Russia were horizontal (versus 14% in 2012). The average depth of the wells drilled also continues to grow as well as the complexity of the wells themselves and more complex completions are installed. This does need heavy rigs and associated technologies such as top drives, mud systems, bits etc., to enable the construction of such wells. We also continue to invest in HSE with dedicated staff, training programs and policies & standards to improve safety performance. We have implemented IADC standards and reporting in our company to benchmark ourselves against worldwide performance. We have also invested in drilling simulators to assist training of our rig crews in processes and procedures. This accelerates knowledge transfer of best practices across our rig crews.

ERIELL Group: In the recent years well construction technologies have noticeably advanced. ERIELL Group was one of the first companies in Russia to use rotary steerable systems in combination with LWD, which resulted in a drastic increase of drilling speed on those specific wells. A lower risk of differential pipe sticking, reduced borehole wall caving and the successful drilling of unstable intervals was largely due to the use of oil based mud the improved composition of which ensures enhanced stability. These technologies, along with the advanced drill pipe design with internal walls polymer coating (IPC), tool joint hardbanding and double shoulder tool joints, enable the drilling of extended reach wells (ERD) with a measured depth of up to 9,000 m, which was a breakthrough in well drilling operations. It is not possible to drill ERD wells without a high capacity, high power rig, which in our case is the 675-ton ZJ-90. Completion technologies include special completion design for multi-stage fracturing, which allows several frac jobs in one run, resulting in several-fold increase of well flow rate.

Nabors: We have noted a step-by-step renewal of the drilling rig fleet in Russia, as well as the entry of strong competitors to this market capable of competing with us both in terms of state-of-the-art rig systems, and technologies used. Western drilling contractors employ their latest developments and solutions related to well construction, setting higher standards for drilling rigs. More and more oil producers refuse to use the general contractor’s approach, still remaining from Soviet times, preferring the multiple services concept that allows them to achieve better efficiency and results. We believe this tendency will only expand in the future, resulting in the rapid growth of the oil industry in Russia.

Bashneft-Drilling: This challenge stems from a lack of initiative from large oil companies’ in terms of promoting such development. Customers need to be aware that the use of the rigs such as the BU-3000EUK or the BU-75BrE today does not guarantee that they will be functioning and available for operations tomorrow. As a drilling contractor, we will not make enough profit to replace these rigs with new and more advanced units. The delayed understanding of our customers to this situation threatens a potential 3 to 5 years of recession in the drilling industry. During this period will be required to carry out the modernization and upgrade of our rig fleet, subject to the availability of the necessary funding.

Nabors: A lack of compliance to Russia’s oil industry standards and regulations, and the related challenges faced when trying to implement new technologies. In order to improve this, continuous monitoring by the relevant Russian authorities to ensure the best technologies and safe practices, and the prompt updating of regional standards and regulations should be considered.

Weatherford: I would like to highlight two major interrelated challenges for the industry. Today, many drilling companies operate at minimum profitability, and in 2014 their daily rates will be even lower than in the previous year, which will result in zero technical development and stagnation. This will also affect the salaries of rig crews and make them keep changing their employers.

Valentin V. Kovalenko is Vice-president of Drilling at IDS Management holding company. Prior to taking this position, he worked from 2010 through 2013 as General Director of Intellect Drilling Services LLC.  Before that Kovalenko gained large industry experience by working at various oil and gas fields in Russia’s extreme northern regions. His career spans from drilling technology engineer, senior technology engineer, Chief Technologist, Chief Engineer of Drilling Directorate, to Director of a drilling company. Valentin Kovalenko holds a degree in oil and gas well drilling from Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry, named after M.Azizbekov.

Denis Ivanov serves as General Director of Nabors Russia. He has PhD degree in material strength analysis. And held several positions in Schlumberger and Weatherford, working in Russia, CIS and USA. Mr. Ivanov joined Nabors in 2012 and since that Nabors Russia has gone through several positive changes, including expanding of Rig fleet in Russia and better positioning of Nabors in Russian market. All Nabors Rigs in Russia, with Debis Ivanov’s help, received contract extentions for several more years.

Maxim N. Tamochkin is a Commercial Director, Drilling and Sidetracking for Weatherford Russia. Maxim graduated from Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas and has over 15 years field, management and sales experience in drilling and oilfield services in major Russian and international companies.

The drill site has physically evolved with the advent of horizontal drilling and multiwell pads. No longer is a rig confined to drilling a single well before having to rig down, move to another location and rig up again. While this evolution is most prominent in North America, other land markets around the world, including Saudi Arabia and Argentina, are following suit. At the center of the evolution is the rig. Driven by the needs of operators and today’s operations, drilling contractors are stepping up the capabilities of horizontal drilling rigs. Fast moving – walking or skidding – AC rigs with 1,600-hp mud pumps and higher torque top drives are populating the global fleet.

North American onshore rigs are predominately occupied by horizontal, development drilling programs. For Patterson-UTI Drilling, more than 80% of its 200-plus active rigs across the US are drilling horizontal wells. Mike Garvin, Senior VP, Operations Support for the company, said he sees that percentage and total number increasing in the coming year, as E&P companies transition to greater levels of horizontal drilling activity in markets that historically were predominantly drilled with vertical wells, such as the Permian basin. “Additionally, horizontal lateral lengths are getting longer, leading to more complex wells.” That greater complexity combined with the desire for more drilling efficiency has made modern AC rigs the preferred rig class by many E&P companies.

Entering US land operations in 2011, BHP Billiton has since been drilling development wells in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville and appraisal wells in the Permian. “Our rigs are specified for drilling horizontal wells and predominately for drilling development wells, too,” Derek Cardno, VP of Drilling and Completions, said. “They’re all AC rigs, and most of them are skiddable. We’ve also turned them into fast movers.”

Besides rig mobility, “the two most important components for efficient pad development and drilling of long laterals are the mud pumps and the torque of the top drive,” Jay Minmier, 2014 IADC Chairman and President of Nomac Drilling, said.

In this overview of horizontal-drilling rigs, industry leaders from BHP, H&P, Nabors Drilling, Nomac, Patterson-UTI and Sidewinder Drillingshare their insights on rig components and capabilities necessary to meet the demands of onshore horizontal drilling.

No stranger to horizontal drilling, Nabors has been drilling horizontal wells in Prudhoe Bay since 1983 and participated in the Austin Chalk trend of the mid-’90s. Nabors has about 300 active land rigs across North America, South America, the Asia Pacific and Middle East, the preponderance of which are drilling horizontal wells. “We are seeing an increasing volume of horizontal drilling internationally, although we have been drilling sophisticated horizontal wells for many years in places like Saudi. A recent example is a record well drilled with one of our rigs, which achieved over 50,000 ft of reservoir contact. The shale reservoirs we are drilling in Argentina are so thick that the initial drilling is vertical, but we

expect over time horizontal drilling will be more prevalent,” Dennis Smith, Director, Corporate Development, said. “It’s not as big a proportion of the total work internationally as it is in the US, but it’s moving that way. I think in another five to 10 years, it will be.”

In North America, roughly 90% of Nabors’ rigs are drilling horizontally, and the industry is supporting the trend. “We’re seeing a big conversion in West Texas and the Permian Basin to horizontal drilling. Customers are switching. Where the majority of the wells they drilled were relatively straight just a year or two ago, now the majority is flipped to where they are going to be horizontal. We see a lot of customers converting drilling plans to horizontal,” Mr Smith said. Not only is the development phase of shales driving the trend but so is the horizontal development of conventional reservoirs, such as the Permian.

The benefit of horizontal drilling is far reaching and not confined to unconventionals or shales. “Horizontal drilling was first commercially applied in the conventional reservoir at Prudhoe Bay. The impetus was to mitigate coning in the reservoir, thereby reducing water and gas intrusion while also increasing well productivity. The economics at the time were a 30% increase in well cost yielded a doubling of production. Many of the wells were drilled in an undulating fashion to facilitate re-perforation over time” Mr Smith explained. With horizontal drilling, “you expose a lot more reservoir to the wellbore, and it’s particularly applicable where you have thinner zones. It’s really the reservoir that dictates it, and shale reservoirs, which require hydraulic fracturing to achieve commercial productivity, lend themselves to horizontal drilling.”

The shift to horizontal drilling has also changed the way operators pick their rigs. In the US, industry has historically classified rigs by the horsepower of the drawworks, which made sense for drilling vertical wells. Hoisting capacity used to be a primary consideration, but with horizontal drilling, it has become less important. “Today’s wells are often just as long as yesterday’s vertical wells in terms of measured depth, but they are generally shallower in terms of total vertical depth. Hence, hoisting requirements are lessened,” Mr Minmier of Nomac said.

Nomac’s customer base – Chesapeake Energy, EOG Resources, Continental Resources and Noble Energy, for example – is primarily in development drilling mode. Nearly 100% of Nomac’s fleet of 85 land rigs

is drilling horizontal wells. “When we talk to operators, they’re most interested in a rig with big mud pumps – 1,600 (hydraulic) hp with 7,500-psi fluid ends – and a higher-torque top drive, rather than drawworks horsepower,” Mr Minmier said. “It is common now to see a rig with a 1,000-hp drawworks, 1,600-hp mud pumps and a higher-torque top drive drilling just as efficiently as a similar rig with 1,500-hp drawworks.”

The acceleration of horizontal drilling has led to numerous changes in rig capabilities, such as increased pipe racking capacity and higher hydraulic horsepower, which in turn requires additional power. “Because the measured depth of wells has increased significantly relative to the true vertical depth, you need more capacity to rack pipe so as to avoid having to lay down any drill pipe when tripping out of the hole,” Mr Smith of Nabors said. Hydraulic horsepower translates to bigger pumps, higher volumes and higher pressures necessary to drive the higher torque and RPM capabilities of today’s downhole motors.

mud pumps. In December 2012, 40% of the company’s rigs were equipped with two 1,600-hp pumps each. By December 2013, it was 52%. Today, 64% of Nomac’s fleet has 1,600 or higher horsepower mud pumps. The contractor also has 16 newbuilds in the works, all of which will be equipped with 1,600-hp pumps. Plans to upgrade other rigs that currently have lesser horsepower pumps are also under way. “By the end of next year, I expect 80% of our fleet to have 1,600-hp pumps,” Mr Minmier added. “That’s arguably the most important factor in determining how long and how efficiently a horizontal section can be drilled.”

With the greater well complexity and longer horizontal laterals, more mud pump pressure is needed to efficiently drill the wells. Accordingly, circulating systems are being upgraded to generate more hydraulic pressure. “We’re providing rigs now with 7,500-psi mud systems, when traditionally it had been limited to 3,500 or 5,000 psi,” Mr Garvin of Patterson-UTI explained. This allows for more hydraulic horsepower to drill extended-reach horizontals quicker.

Sidewinder Drilling, which has 42 land rigs in the US, is constructing two newbuilds – one to be delivered in January and the second in March 2015. Both are likely to operate in Texas and will be equipped with 7,500-psi mud pumps. “We selected the Weatherford7,500-psi mud pumps with permanent magnet motors as we believe they will be more reliable, more powerful and lighter weight than conventional mud pumps,” Jon Cole, Chairman & CEO of Sidewinder said. Permanent magnet motors are smaller and lighter than conventional AC motors. “They can run for longer periods at maximum output than conventional motors.”

Nabors Drilling has also observed more requests for 7,500-psi pumps, which are being retrofitted onto older rigs. “The long-standing standard has been a capability of 5,000 psi,” Mr Smith explained. “To go to that higher pressure, you need to change out the fluid ends and high-pressure piping.” The higher psi allows operators to take advantage of new efficiencies in the drill bits, the high-torque motors and the bigger, faster drilling motors. “It all benefits rate of penetration and the ability to clean the hole efficiently.”

Through 2015, Nabors will add 60 rigs to its fleet, all of which will have the option for 7,500-psi pumps. In North America, about 20% of Nabors’ fleet of 300 rigs is outfitted with 7,500-psi pumps. “We are now installing the higher-pressure piping into all of our new and upgraded rigs so that they can be readily retrofitted,” Mr Smith said.

In the Haynesville, BHP Billiton has specified mud pumps to 7,500 psi. “That’s helped us a lot because they’re higher mud weight, longer-reach wells (reaching 18,000 to 19,000 ft) with a small hole size,” Mr Cardno stated. BHP is using 4-in. drill pipe in the reservoir section in the Haynesville, while using either 4 ½ or 5 in. in the lateral section in other plays. “Because we’re TDing wells in 6 ¼-in. hole, that’s the optimum drill pipe size, and the 7,500-psi capability has helped our performance in Haynesville by allowing full flow rate to total depth.”

Hydraulic horsepower is to mud pumps as torque is to top drives. However, while the top drive plays a critical role in horizontal drilling performance, it also is a key point for failure. “The top drive is by far our leading cause of downtime,” Mr Cole of Sidewinder stressed. He urged manufacturers to improve quality control and equipment uptime, as well as ensure the availability of spare parts.

The wells that Sidewinder is drilling in Appalachia, particularly in the Utica, have a longer horizontal section than what they’re drilling in the Marcellus, where they generally run 7,000 to 12,000 ft. “The hydraulic top drives that we had before lack the torque to really effectively execute the programs in the Utica,” Mr Cole stated. “On our 1,500-hp AC rigs, we prefer 50,000-ft-lb continuous torque. On the new mechanical rigs, we’re upgrading from hydraulic 20,000 ft-lb units to AC-electric powered top drives with up to 30,000 ft-lb of torque.” While high-torque top drives have been in use offshore, a typical 1,500-hp land rig uses a 30,000 ft-lb torque top drive. “Demand is increasing for higher torque capacity top drives,” he added.

In the Haynesville, BHP drills intermediate sections with hard, 40,000-psi compressive strength rock. “That needs more torque capability in the top drive,” Mr Cardno explained, which the operator is able to achieve with Nabors’ PACE-X rigs. The operator began deploying the PACE-X rigs in 2013; the rig features a 500-ton Canrig AC top drive with

Operator demands for higher-torque top drives are leading to a shift away from hydraulic top drives in favor of AC-electric units. Approximately 78% of Nomac’s rigs have AC top drives. Similar to the mud pump trend, Mr Minmier foresees a continued shift in Nomac’s fleet to reach 90% by the end of next year, as all of Nomac’s 16 newbuilds will include AC top drives and others will be upgraded.

“We’ve been going through a significant upgrade process for the last two years, adding bigger mud pumps, adding AC top drives, adding skidding and walking systems, adding hydraulic catwalks, Iron Roughnecks – all the features that operators are requesting. Eventually, the fleet will be all AC top drives, all 1,600-hp mud pumps, all skidding and walking. It’s just a matter of time,” Mr Minmier said.

For land rigs, there are two facets to mobility: the ability to move from location to location and the ability to move from well to well on the same location. The latter has taken on greater significance due to pad drilling, although the former remains key to the efficiency of the overall drilling operation. “A decade or so ago, rigs were being designed and marketed as

being fast moving, meaning they can quickly move from one location to another. In that context, it was how fast can you rig-down, move to a new location and rig back up,” Mr Minmier explained. “With the prevalence of pad drilling, it’s becoming more critical how efficiently a rig can move from well to well on the same pad. It’s not uncommon to see land rigs today doing only two or three location rig moves in a year, and they used to do 15.”

In the Eagle Ford, Bakken and Marcellus, H&P is now primarily drilling multiwell pads. “I see West Texas becoming more and more of a multiwell pad area, as they define the areas and go into development,” Mr Millwee said. “In the Mid-Continent area, specifically in the Woodford, we’re seeing more of a push toward pad wells again. We’ve had some pad wells and some single wells there, but we see that one shifting to almost an all-pad environment.”

The significance in pad drilling systems is prominent in terms of reducing nonproductive time. “It’s a lot of these non-drilling activities where the opportunities (to improve efficiency) lie. Being able to move a rig quickly is a huge efficiency, where it traditionally takes three or four days to move a rig from pad to pad, we can literally walk to the next well on a pad in 45 minutes,” Mr Garvin of Patterson-UTI said.

Since the early ’70s, Nabors has deployed skidding/walking systems at Prudhoe Bay and in desert applications in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia. The technology has evolved from lift-and-roll to stomper systems since early 2000s. Approximately 75% of Nabors’ US fleet – including approximately 150 AC rigs – have walking systems; outside the US, about 33% of its rigs are equipped. The configuration of the newest AC rigs with walking systems provides more flexibility over a skidding system. “The walking systems have a little more

The new generation of mast and substructures allows drilling contractors to rearrange its rigs to reduce the number the loads and connections, making the rigs move a lot more efficiently between locations. “It’s still important to move rapidly between pads and with smaller-sized loads requiring fewer permits,” Mr Smith said. “In 2005, when we started building a lot of new rigs, the use of AC drives and digital controls facilitated repackaging the rig into fewer loads because the equipment’s lighter and has fewer complex connections.”

Automation is on the horizon for land drilling. While automation has made more headway offshore, onshore drilling contractors also realize there are opportunities for automation to improve

operations and increase efficiencies. “One aspect of automation is automating the drilling of the well downhole,” Mr Garvin said. “Electronic drilling systems on the rig offer very precise control over the hoisting, rotary and circulating systems on the rig.” This precision allows the rig to maintain an optimal weight on the bit to maximize drilling efficiency. Additionally, precise control of the rig’s systems allows for the use of newer, more advanced downhole drilling tools to further increase drilling efficiency.

While today’s horizontal drilling rig is capable of meeting operator demands, Mr Cardno of BHP believes there are opportunities to further optimize the drilling rig and operation. “We do things that take hours that if we really got focused on them, we could potentially do it in minutes,” he stated. Alluding to Formula 1 race cars, he described how crews have “gone from changing tires from 15 seconds to doing it in 2 or 3 seconds. They probably thought they were doing it really fast when they were doing it in 15-20 seconds.”