Oil Drilling Techniques and Tools Explained

As an employee or stakeholder in the oil and gas industry, you need to understand all types of oil drilling methods. The method of extracting oil or gas from the earth's crust depends on various factors, such as the type of soil and the geographic location of the site. Drill pipe suppliers are here to introduce you.

 

As an employee or stakeholder in the oil and gas industry, you need to understand all types of oil drilling methods. The method of extracting oil or gas from the earth's crust depends on various factors, such as the type of soil and the geographic location of the site. Hebei YUBO Filtration Equipment Co., Ltd.suppliers are here to introduce you.

 

 

Drilling Process

Oil drilling starts with drilling a hole in the earth's crust. It requires a long drill bit attached to a drill column. Note that drill bits range in diameter from 5 to 50 inches. After drilling the hole, a slightly smaller diameter steel pipe is inserted and the gap around it is filled with cement. This helps keep the steel casing stable.
During the drilling process, the operator fills the hole with a mixture of solids, fluids and chemicals (also called "mud") to lubricate the rotating bit and remove debris from the path. As the bit drills deeper, new tubing must be added to the drill column. The pipe connections must be tightened to ensure they do not separate in the well.

When the oil and gas extracted from the well can no longer cover the operating costs, we say that the well has reached its economic limit. For this reason, extraction must be stopped by removing the drill pipe and filling the hole with cement. This prevents the hydrocarbon reservoir from mixing with water. Finally, the pump head is removed and capped to fill the entire hole.

Spiral Drill Collar

 

Common Types

You need to understand several methods of oil drilling. Learn how each technique works and where it applies. Here are a few common oil drilling techniques.

1) Cable Drilling

Cable drilling is a manual method in which a hammer head is attached to a long cable and then placed into the hole. These tools are supported above the hole by a tripod. As the drill bit and cable move back and forth, the soil in the hole is loosened and the hole is removed. Workers remove the drill at regular intervals, suspend the rock chips in water and pump them to the surface.

 

2) Directional Drilling

In directional drilling, the drill bit moves along a curved path as the hole is deepened. This technique allows oil explorers to reach inaccessible oil deposits by drilling vertically. As a result, it reduces extraction costs. In addition, miners can use this method to extract oil deposits from onshore subsea reservoirs.

 

3) Electric Drilling

In this technology, electric motors drive winches and turntables to extract oil from the earth's crust, increasing operational flexibility. This new oil and gas exploration technology is very effective because the electric motor provides direct power to the drill bit. It is very suitable for drilling areas with complex geological conditions.

 

4) Rotary drilling

Rotary drilling uses light rigs to drill low depth wells on land, followed by rotary mobile rigs of different sizes and floating rigs to drill exploratory wells. The drill pipe used here rotates with the drill bit at 40-250 revolutions per minute. The rock chips are then removed from the hole by the fluid circulating in the drill pipe.

 

 

All types of drilling techniques work differently. As an oil rig operator or manager, you need to choose a method that works best in a particular area. Contact LONGWAY to learn about the drilling equipment used to extract oil and gas.