The Drilling Rig and Its Crew

Types of Rigs
Onshore or land rigs
Offshore rigs
Barges
Drilling Tenders
Platforms
Jack-ups
Semisubmersibles
Drillships
Land Rigs
Cantilever mast most common
arrangement
Portable mast usually mounted on
trucks that incorporate the hoisting
machinery, engines and derrick as a
single unit
Land Rigs
Land Rigs
Drilling Barges



Mobile, flat bottomed shallow draft vessels
Used for drilling in swampy or shallow coastal
waters (8-20 ft)
West African river deltas, US Gulf Coast,
Maracaibo, Kalimantan
Limited stability and can be used in very calm
waters
Need utility barges because of limited storage space
Drilling Barges
Drilling Tenders
Non-self-propelled barges or semisubmersibles
Moored alongside a platform
Derrick equipment on platform
Allows less costly platforms to be used for
development
Drilling Tenders
Platforms
Fixed-bottom or rigid rigid structures extend from the seabed to all
the way above the surface of the water
Steel jacket or concrete gravity (CGS)
Floating float near the water surface
Tension leg (TLP), Spar
Type of Platforms
Type of
Platform
Connection to Seabed Example
Fixed-bottom Piles
Gravity
Steel jacket
Concrete Gravity Structure
(CGS)
Floating Tethers
Catenary mooring lines
Single Point Mooring
(SPM)
Tension Leg Platform (TLP)
Semi-submersible, Spar
Ship-shaped vessel (FPSO)

Platforms
Jack-ups
Mobile self-
elevating rigs
equipped with long
support legs
Designed to drill in
<350 ft of water
Very stable
Jack-ups (NEW)
Spud cans xxxxxx
Semisubmersibles
Have a water ballasting
system that can partially
submerge its vertical
stabilizing columns
Anchor-moored or
dynamically positioned
Can operate in water depths
of up to 6000 ft.
Operational depth limited by
mooring equipment and riser
handling capacity
Can work in harsh
environments like the North
Sea

Semisubmersibles

A Word On Dynamic Positioning
Dynamic Positioning is a technique used on floaters utilizing large
computer-controlled on-board propulsion units (pitch propellers or
thrusters) controlled by a satellite navigation system to maintain the
position of a vessel with respect to a point on the seabed
Range of weather conditions is limited
Generally not used in water depths of less than 3000 ft
Because of large fuel consumption it is only economically feasible in
the ff circumstances:
Frequent location changes are required
Anchor lengths required are excessive (>3000 ft)
Drillships
Capable of drilling in
very deep water
(>6000 ft)
Offer greater mobility
than a semi or jack-
up
Greater storage
facilities
Anchor-moored or
dynamically positioned
Limited to areas where
wave action is not
severe
Keyway
The keyway is the opening on an inland
barge or offshore jackup in which the
drilling operations are performed.
Moonpool
The hole through a floater or semi-
submersible structure is which the drilling
operations are performed.
Rig Setup
Rig Crew
Offshore Installation Manager (OIM) (for
offshore rigs only)
Rig Superintendent or Day Toolpusher
Night Toolpusher
Drillers
Assistant Drillers
Derrickman
Motorman
Roughnecks
Rig Crew
Roustabouts
Electricians
Mechanics
Crane Operator
Catering Crew
Driller
Derrickman
Roughneck
End of Topic