Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century

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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Introduction to Drilling
Engineering
by
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum and Geosystems
Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
• Drilling is the process of making a hole
or a well in the earth for some purpose.
• The purposes are many and they
include
Drilling Engineering
Oil and gas production
Water production
Collecting earth samples
Disposal of liquid wastes
Disposal of green house gases such as
CO2.
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
• Wells are drilled on land in every type
of terrain on the planet.
• Wells are also drilled offshore
• From shallow water bays
• To deep oceans
• The equipment that is assembled to
drill a well is called a drilling rig.
• Rigs can be gigantic and complex
for deep wells in hostile
environments.
• Or fairly small and simple for
shallow wells on land.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
• Regardless of the size and complexity of the rig they all drill wells in
similar ways.
• A rig needs to have:
A way to break rock.
A way to remove rock fragments from the well.
A way to stabilize the hole so that it does not cave in.
A way to raise and lower pipe and tools in and out of the well.
A way to control pressures in the earth so that fluids do not escape
uncontrolled from the well.
A way for the people on the rig to control all the operations.
A power source to make everything go.
Drilling – Breaking Rock
• A hole is drilled into the earth by rotating a
bit to grind and chip the rock.
• The bit is rotated by spinning the drill string
or by use of a down hole motor or both.
• The rock pieces, called cuttings, are
removed from the well by circulating fluid
down the center of the hollow drill string,
out nozzles
l in
i the
h bit,
bi andd up the
h annulus
l
between the drill string and the hole.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Mud
• The drilling fluid can be liquid, commonly
called mud, or it can be air, natural gas, or
foam.
• In addition to removing the cuttings from
the well, the drilling fluid serves to
lubricate the bit and drill string.
• And, if it is mud, to prevent the flow of
pore fluids into the well bore and to help
stabilize the bore hole through its density
and other properties.
Drilling – Mud Cleaning
• The cuttings are separated
from the mud at the
surface by use of a e shaker
s a e which
w c iss a
• A sshale
series of vibrating screens.
This device removes the
largest cuttings.
• If a small amount of gas is
in the mud it is removed
by a vacuum degasser.
• Other devices such as
h d
hydrocyclones
l
can be
b usedd
to remove smaller cuttings
down to sand and silt level
if required.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Mud Circulation
• The relativelyy cuttings
g free mud
is circulated through storage
and treatment tanks (the mud
tanks) where any alterations or
additions to the mud are made.
• Finally the mud is pumped back
down the drill string by triplex
ppumps
p called mud pumps
p p to
repeat the cycle.
• The pumps are powered by
engines or motors.
Drilling – The Drill String
• The drill string is made up of
• Drill Pipe which is a relatively
thin tube to connect the bottom
hole assembly (BHA) to the
surface.
• BHA-which can be mostly drill
collars which are large OD and
small ID tubes that are used to
stiffen the drill string and
impart weight to the bit to help
it chip and break the rock.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Bottom Hole Assembly
The BHA can also have other
specialty items –
Heavy Weight Drill Pipe
Drilling Jars
Stabilizers
Non-magnetic drill collars
LWD and MWD tools
Steering while rotating tools
Motors
Drilling – Rotary Assembly
• The drill string can be
rotated from the surface
using a Rotary Table.
• The rotary table is driven
by a rotary drive which
can be a chain or drive
shaft link and is powered
by the rig engines or a
motor.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Rotary Assembly
• The drill string fits into the
rotary table using a kelly and
kelly bushings.
• The kelly is a hexagonal or
octagonal pipe that fits into the
kelly bushings which in turn fit
into the rotary table.
• Thus when the table turns the
bushings cause the kelly to turn.
Drilling – Rotary Assembly
• The kellyy fits below a swivel.
• The swivel is a bearing that
allows free rotation of the kelly
without twisting any equipment
above the swivel.
• The swivel also has the mud
inlet to the drill string from the
mud pumps through the goose
neck.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Rotary Assembly
• In this picture the swivel is
suspended by the hook from the
t
traveling
li block.
bl k
• The kelly is below the swivel.
• The rotary hose brings mud to
the goose neck from the stand
pipe on the derrick.
• The picture is a standard derrick
that clearly shows the V door
and the V door ramp.
Drilling – Top Drives
• Many rigs use a top drive
instead of a kelly and rotary
table to spin the drill string.
• A top drive is a power swivel
that can turn the drill pipe either
using a hydraulic or electric
motor.
• The rotation can be easily
reversed for back reaming.
• The drill pipe can be added in
stands rather than in singles
with a top drive.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Hoisting
• The swivel is suspended below a
hook which is part of the
traveling block
block.
• All of this is suspended from the
crown block at the top of a
derrick.
• The crown and traveling block
are a set off pulleys
ll
that
h are strung
on wire rope.
• The weight that can be pulled is a
function of the number of lines
strung through the blocks.
Drilling – Hoisting and Power
• The fast line is spooled on a
drum of a hoist called the draw
works.
• The draw works is powered by
the rig engines or motors.
• The draw works has several
gears that can be used to adjust
hoisting speed.
• The rig power can be supplied
from engines or by motors
powered by electricity from an
engine – generator set.
• Rig fuel is specified by engine
type, but is normally diesel.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Drilling Controls
• The drillers console allows
control of the draw works
through a clutch and
transmission, an accelerator,
and controls for the mud pumps
and well control equipment.
• There is also at least a weight
indicator and stand pipe
pp
pressure gauge. Other
instruments such as torque and
rotary speed, pit levels, etc. may
also be available.
Drilling – The Derrick
• The derrick is used to support
pp
the traveling equipment and any
weight suspended below the
hook.
• The derrick is tall enough to
allow pulling the drill string in
longg sections and standingg each
section back in the derrick in
the finger board. The sections
can be from one to four pieces
of drill pipe in length.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Blow Out Preventers
• Beneath the rigg floor is space
p
for the surface well control
equipment.
• These are the blow out
preventors (BOPS).
• They are a set of valves that
allow the well to be shut in if it
should begin to flow on its own.
Drilling – The Blow Out Preventers
• BOPS commonly are
• An annular BOP on top
• A pipe ram, a blind ram, and a
second pipe ram are below the
annular.
• The BOPS are operated
hydraulically with pressure
stored in the BOP accumulator
accumulator.
• It may be possible to operate
some BOPS manually, but this
is not preferred from a speed
and safety point of view.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Blow Out Preventers
• The BOPS are secured to the
surface casing by a flange.
• The surface casing is steel pipe
that has been cemented in the
ground and acts as the anchor
for the BOPS.
Drilling – Off Shore Operations
• In many off shore operations where the
water is shallow the well is brought
above sea level using steel casing.
• The top of the well is either a fixed
platform or a jack up drilling rig
operating over a platform (as shown).
• Done this way, the BOP arrangement
and drilling process are much the same
as on land.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – Deep Water Operations
• For deep water operations the BOPS are
placed on the sea floor and connected to
the cemented surface casing as was
d
done
on lland.
d
• The BOPS are still controlled by
hydraulics, but the hydraulics are
actuated by electric signals from the rig.
• The BOPS are connected to the floating
rig by a segmented steel pipe called the
marine riser.
• The riser acts as a continuation of the
well bore.
Picture from spwla
Drilling – The Crew
• The drillingg rig
g is staffed byy at least –
• The Driller – who is in command of
his drilling crew. He is in charge of the
controls of the rig and responsible for
record keeping during his shift. He is
responsible for the activities of the
crew.
• There can be two or three crews on a
rig working 12 or 8 hour shifts.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Crew
• The Derrick Man – he is second
in command of the crew and
often can act as a substitute
driller when needed
needed.
• He works in the derrick standing
back or adding pipe during trips.
Any other work in the derrick
will be his responsibility.
• During drilling he is responsible
for the up keep of the mud
system as directed by the mud
engineer.
Drilling – The Crew
• The Floor Hands –
• There will be at least two of these
and often three.
• They are responsible for adding
pipe to the drilling string and for
breaking apart or making up stands
during trips.
• One will be the motor man with
responsibility for routine
maintenance of the engines.
engines
• The others are helpers and general
laborers.
Drilling Engineering
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Energy, Climate & Water in the 21st Century
TXESS Revolution Summer Institute
Dr. Paul Bommer
Dept. of Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering
Drilling – The Crew
• The site supervisor is called the Tool Pusher. He is responsible for
the day to day activity of the rig and its crews and is the ultimate
on site representative
p
of the drilling
g contractor. The next level of
contractor supervision is typically a drilling superintendent with
responsibility for several rigs.
• There will also be a Company Representative to work with the
Tool Pusher to achieve the desired well plan. This person is
employed by the operating company. He/she will report to the next
p y supervision,
p
typically
yp
y a drillingg engineer.
g
level of company
• All Hands are responsible for SAFETY. This is primarily the
safety of the on site personnel, but secondarily for the population at
large.
Drilling Engineering
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