Applications of Drilling Rigs

Modern drilling rigs are complex machines designed for a single purpose - to drill oil, gas, or geothermal wells. From today's drilling rigs, wells can be drilled to subsurface depths of over 12,000 meters. The precision of modern drilling operations can also land an 11,000 meter long horizontal well within just a few meters of the target. Offshore rigs can accomplish such feats in water depths of 10,000 feet and deeper.

Drilling a well to such precise accuracy requires a high degree of precision - especially when drilling thousands of feet below the surface. This high degree of accuracy has been compared to the space program.

Most drilling rigs, whether onshore or offshore, are mobile and can be moved quickly and efficiently from one location to another. Rigs often work in harsh environments - the Arctic, burning deserts, or ultra-deepwater.

Water Well Drilling Machine

Arctic rigs

Rigs designed to operate in Arctic conditions must be winterized, with heating and cooling systems for the drill pad, drill pipe, casing storage, and other areas. Typically, Arctic rigs are modular in design to allow for simpler construction at the well site and the ability to skid short distances between wells.

Desert rigs

In contrast, desert rigs can operate in searingly hot, dry environments. Many of these rigs are specifically designed with oversized tires to traverse the roadless sands of the harsh desert environment. These tires can be up to 12 feet or 4 meters in diameter, allowing a truck or tractor to pull the rig to the next drilling location.

Recently, "walking rigs" have been developed for efficient drilling in unconventional formations where several wells are drilled in a small footprint. Most drilling equipment, including the mast and substructure, are capable of walking a short distance to the next location. These rigs require additional structural reinforcement and have complex designs.

The exploration of offshore oil began in the early 1900s when wells were drilled from fixed platforms. As shown in this photo taken in California circa 1905, early drilling rigs were simply piers reaching out into the ocean. Later, stand-alone platforms were developed to allow drilling in deeper water.

Water Well Drilling Rig          

Over the decades, many different platform designs have been introduced, each one reaching deeper into the water than its predecessor. Fixed platforms can not only drill for oil or gas but can also produce resources.

The platform rig itself is essentially the same design and construction as a typical land-based rig but is mounted on a large bottom support structure secured in the seabed by any one of several methods.

To reach greater depths, tension leg platforms were invented. Tension leg platforms are permanently moored in the proper location by steel tendons. These types of platforms can operate in water depths approaching three thousand feet or approximately one thousand meters.

Crystalline platforms can be drilled and produced in water deeper than any other fixture. In the platform, wing beams make it possible to drill and produce in the deepest water. The platform consists of a large-diameter vertical cylinder supporting the hull of the drilling vessel. The cylinder is permanently moored to the seafloor and weighted at the bottom to lower the center of gravity and provide stability.

Most offshore drilling in the world today is conducted by Mobile Offshore Drilling Units or MODUs for short. These units are designed for specific water depth ranges, from very shallow to as deep as 12,000 feet, or approximately 4,000 meters.

If you want to know more information about types of drilling rigs, welcome to contact us today or request a quote.