Drilling rig
A system for drilling wells into the earth's subsurface.
A drilling rig is an integrated system used to create holes in the earth's subsurface for purposes such as extracting oil, natural gas, or water, as well as for construction and mineral exploration. These rigs range from small, manually operated augers to massive structures capable of drilling thousands of meters through the crust, often incorporating hoists, derricks, and mud pumps to circulate drilling fluid. The term 'rig' broadly refers to the complex equipment that penetrates the Earth's surface, whether mounted on mobile vehicles or fixed on land or marine platforms.
Quick Facts
- Earliest known drilling technique
- Percussion drilling
- ancient Chinese Han dynasty
- 100 BC
Facts from the source article.
History
Before internal combustion engines, rock drilling relied on muscle power. Percussion drilling for oil originated in ancient China during the Han dynasty around 100 BC, used to extract natural gas in Sichuan province. Heavy iron bits attached to bamboo cables were suspended from bamboo derricks and repeatedly raised and dropped into a manually dug hole by men jumping on a lever. These early wells reached only 10 meters deep, but by the 10th century depths of 100 meters were achieved, and by the 16th century Chinese wells exceeded 2000 feet. This technology reached Europe in 1828. A modernized variant was used by Edwin Drake in 1859 to drill Pennsylvania's first oil well, employing small steam engines instead of human power. Cable tool drilling, developed in ancient China for brine wells, was learned by Drake from Chinese laborers. In the 1970s, outside oil and gas, roller bits using mud circulation were largely replaced by pneumatic reciprocating piston Reverse Circulation (RC) drills, which proved faster and more efficient. Diamond drilling has remained essentially unchanged since its inception.
Mobile drilling rigs
Early oil exploration used semi-permanent derricks often built on site and left after well completion. Modern drilling rigs are expensive, custom-built machines that can be moved from well to well. Light duty rigs, resembling mobile cranes, are commonly used for water wells. Larger land rigs must be broken into sections for transport, a process that can take weeks. Small mobile rigs also drill or bore piles, ranging from 100 ST continuous flight auger rigs to small air-powered rigs for quarries, using the same technology as oil rigs on a smaller scale.
Automated drill rig
An automated drill rig is a full-sized land-based rig that walks and drills long horizontal sections in oil and gas wells. These agile rigs can move between well pads faster than other full-sized rigs and cost around $25 million each. They are widely used in the Athabasca oil sands. Building one rig generates 50,000 man-hours of work, and once running, each rig directly and indirectly employs over 100 workers. The first slant automated drill rig designed for steam assisted gravity drainage was put into service in June 2005 by Deer Creek Energy Limited.
Auger drills
An auger drill is a spiral-shaped tool used to drill holes in ground, ice, wood, and other materials. Its design varies by material, and it comes in sizes capable of drilling up to 95 feet deep. The auger is a helical screw of steel casing with curved flights that rotates as pushed into the ground by a drill head, bringing excavated material to the surface to keep the borehole open. Augers can be mounted on trucks or other machines and are used in construction, environmental studies, geotechnical investigations, and for installing piles, telephone poles, solar posts, deck posts, and for gardening, fences, planting crops, and ice fishing. Methods include hand auger drilling, which is cost-effective but labor-intensive for shallow soil, and hollow stem auger drilling, which uses a large hollow auger to remove soil. Auger drilling is often quieter and less vibration-prone than drive drilling, making it suitable for urban areas. Safety precautions include wearing gloves, eye and ear protectors, and closed-toe boots, ensuring secure attachments, engaging high torque gear, and starting slowly. A drill bucket, or auger bucket, accumulates spoil inside and is periodically lifted to be emptied.
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