Why are There Few Countries Operating Drilling Rigs to Find Oil Deposits?
The world needs to have oil for the industrial and residential uses of the many customers. For most of the countries that use this oil the oil is transported to them. The question that few of us think of asking is why are there only a few countries that are operating drilling rigs to find deposits of oil. The answer to this question has to do with the amount of money that can be spent for the construction of these rigs.
As the rigs need to be used in places where oil has been discovered they need to be for the most part absolutely self sufficient. The materials that are used to make these drilling rigs need to be strong so that they will be able to contain all of the equipment which is required to drill for oil.
There will be different types of equipment which is used for the land based drilling rigs and those of the offshore oil rigs. As the offshore oil rigs are located at sea they are very far from the nearest shore. The crew will need various ways to arrive and leave the oil rigs when they have shore leave.
For this reason you will find a helipad placed on the platform of the offshore drilling rigs. There will be a different method of arriving on the rig when the people arrive by the seaward side. In some rigs there will a large basket – called an air tugger – which carries the people up to the rig.
The platform itself needs to be large so that it can house the drilling pipes and drill heads. Additionally the operating room for the drilling rigs will also be housed on the platform itself. These operating rooms are fully computerized. Therefore the entire offshore rigs and even the land based rigs will need to have a continuous supply of electricity. An electrical generator which can be found on the premises takes care of this need.
The crew that work at these places need to have the ability of working from their homes for a long period of time. They will earn their salary by working hard. The initial salary may not sound like much but as they gain more experience they will be able to earn quite a lot of money.
To make working on drilling rigs more comfortable for the drill crew during their shifts, the owners of the drilling rigs will provide their crews with the best of comforts. In many of the rigs the living quarters for the crew is found at a distance of the rig itself. The level of comfort you will find in these oil rigs is comparable to that of hotels.
The food in these drilling rigs – both the land rigs and the offshore oil rigs – is very excellent in quality and quantity. These creature comforts and the substantial salary helps the drilling crew to be able to bear the hard conditions on the drilling rigs.
By : Muna wa Wanjiru
Pressure Transducer Applications in the Offshore Oil Industry
The world wide offshore oil industry uses many types of pressure transducer for control and measurement in processes, drilling controls and downhole tools. With the need to find oil in more inaccessible places the equipment used in exploration, drilling and production becomes ever more complex and the use of pressure transducer products is on the increase.
A few uses for pressure transducer sensors are :
Wellheads
Wellhead assemblies and Christmas tree use a range of pressure transducer sensors to monitor wellhead pressure. Due to the hazardous area the pressure transducer has to be of intrinsically safe or explosion proof design. A pressure transducer used in this application also needs to be rugged and weatherproof. The Omni series 23EXD and 23IS pressure transducer types meet both of these requirements.
Downhole Tools
Various types of pressure transducer are used in downhole tools to monitor hydraulic pressure, and pipeline oil pressure. Often a high pressure transducer is required, with a high operating temperature range due to the extreme environment. The Omni series 10 and series 8 pressure transducer models offer ranges up to 1000 bar with operating temperatures up to 150 degrees C.
Subsea Hydraulic Manifolds
Subsea hydraulic packs are used for various control applications in offshore oil production. Subsea hydraulic packs may use up to 10 pressure transducer units. The pressure transducer has to be made to the smallest design, and be able to work with high external case pressures. In this instance the pressure transducer may have the external housing removed with the bare PCB exposed to the environment to reduce the profile, with oil filling used to stop any seawater ingress.
Intelligent Pigs
Subsea pipe lines are tested on a regular basis with an intelligent pig. The pig may be fitted with several pressure transducer types to monitor pipeline pressure, and hydraulic pressure. Also a differential pressure transducer may be used to measure the difference in pressure between the front and back of the pig. As these devices are usually battery powered it is important to select a pressure transducer with low power consumption. The Omni series 10 pressure transducer only draws around 1mA and is ideal for these applications.
Core Analysis
In core analysis an oil sample may be forced at high pressure through a section of rock core. A pressure transducer in this application needs to provide high accuracy measurement up to 10,000 PSI and be constructed of either hastelloy or monel to avoid corrosion of the diaphragm. The Omni series 23 and 25 pressure transducer meets this requirement.
Drilling Mud Systems
It is often a requirement to use a pressure transducer in mud flow lines. In these applications a pressure transducer with a flush diaphragm is required. This is because with a normal pressure transducer the pressure port is only 3 mm diameter, and is prone to clogging with mud particles. The Omni series 25 pressure transducer have a G1/2” or G3/4” flush diaphragm and can e supplied in EXD or IS format for hazardous area use.
By : Jim Furness
Offshore Oil Rig Jobs
Working offshore is not for everyone. The job requires you to travel and be away from home and your family. It is a hard and dangerous task that has to be accomplished in harsh weather conditions. On the other hand, growth opportunities are tremendous.
Starting salary for a person with no previous experience is anything between $40,000 to $60,000 annually and that too for working only for six months in a year.
Once the workers have excelled at the lower positions, they are usually promoted to higher positions depending on their performance. On the job training is also provided like job shadowing, mentoring and coaching.
Types of Jobs
There are many types of jobs available while working offshore in an oilrig. For instance, people are recruited in the control room, at the deck, for drilling, rig management, mechanical and electrical department, catering. Others are hired as rig welders, scaffolders, radio operators, medic, rig safety and training coordinator, mud engineer, painters.
Control room personnel include barge engineers who are in charge of the control room; control room operators and assistant CROs control the stability of the rigs and make liquid transfers.
On the deck, people are recruited as maintenance roustabout and foreman who looks after the deck area. Crane operators whose main duties includes crane operations.
Drill crew includes positions such as roughnecks, pumpman, dereckman and drillers.
Roughnecks and pumpman takes mud weights and looks after the machinery required by the particular operation.
The Dereckman’s main duty is the maintenance of the machinery in the mud pump room.
Drillers occupy one of the most important positions on the rig. He is responsible for the drilling in the seabed.
Tool pushers and offshore installation manager make up the rig management.
Tool pushers work in the rig offices and rig floors. Offshore installation managers are responsible for the entire rig.
Mechanical department hires motorman, mechanics and maintenance supervisors who are responsible for all mechanical operations.
Electrical department includes positions like electrician, electronic technician and maintenance supervisors who look after the repair of all electrical equipment.
Catering team is made up of the stewardess, cook and the camp boss who are in charge of the catering, laundry and cleaning.
Before you decide to start a career in this industry, one needs to keep in mind certain criteria like health, age, experience, education and interests. The job requires you to be in good physical condition, and you need to pass certain medical examinations. Although the average age is 27 for offshore jobs, you can apply for coast guard or drilling contractor positions if you are less than 18. Experience in a particular field will help you to gain a better position and wage, but by and large, no previous experience or skill is required to be hired.
Many entry-level positions are available. No formal education is required at the lower positions. Higher education is required only at the higher levels. Oil industry is continuing to grow rapidly and hence a career in this industry is very prosperous and bright. It gives you an opportunity to work anywhere in the world in a work environment which has very high standards of safety. Besides, enjoying very high salaries, the other benefit that workers enjoy is working only for 14 days in a month. Major oil companies also provide medical and life insurance. It is a very rewarding and exciting career.
By : Tony Jacowski