Gas Engineering

Drilling
 Processes of Natural Gas
Extraction & Utilization
• Exploration
• Extraction
 Well drilling
• Production
 Well Completion
 Processing
• Transportation
• Distribution
 Exploration Techniques

• Geological method (geographic location & dominant rock

types)
• Geochemical method (analyzing the chemical & bacterial
composition of soil and water on the surface)
• Geophysical method (technique involved seismic
reflection which tells about the depth, thickness &
structure of subsurface rock layers and evaluate whether
they are capable of trapping natural gas and crude oil)
 Well types
By Produced Fluid
• Wells that produce oil
• Wells that produce oil and natural gas, or
• Wells that only produce natural gas.

Gas-Oil ratio: it is the ratio of the volume of the gas that comes
out of the solution to the volume of oil at standard conditions.

If the GOR is greater than 10,000cf/bbl then the field is descibed

as a gas well, if less 10,000cf/bbl than the field is generally
described as an oil well.
 Drilling Rig Types
Onshore Rigs (Land) • Drill ship
 Conventional rigs
 Mobile rigs (portable rigs)

Offshore Rigs
Bottom support
 Platform
 Self-contained
 Tendered
 Barge
 Jackup
Floating rigs
 Semi/submersible
Conventional Drilling Rig Mobile Drilling Rig
Bottom Support Drilling Rig Semi-submersible Drilling Rig
There is a guideline to choose roughly the type of offshore drilling
rigs according to water depth and conditions of sea state and winds:

- Water depth less than 25 m: submersible rigs

- Water depth less than 50 m and calm sea: tender or jack-up
assisted platforms
- Water depth less than 400 m and mild sea: self-contained platforms
- Water depth from 15 m to 150 m: jack-up rigs
- Water depth from 20 m to 2000 m: anchored drill ships or
semisubmersible rigs
- Water depth from 500 m to 3000 m: drill ships or semisubmersible
rigs with dynamic positioning system
 Basic Rig Components
• Derricks and substructure

• Drawworks

• Mud-pumps

• Prime movers

• The drill string

• Bits

• Drilling line

• Miscellaneous and auxiliary equipment

• Derricks
The function of amust be of
derrick is tosufficient height
provide theand strength to
vertical clearanceperform these
necessary to theduties in a safe
raising andand expedient
lowering of themanner. Derricks
drill string intoare of two
and out of thegeneral types,
hole during thestandard and
drilling portable.
operations. It
• Drawworks
The machine on therope, in a
rig consisting of acontrolled fashion.
large-diameter steelGravity powers the
reeling out of the drilling
spool, brakes, aline, and an electric
power source andmotor or engine powers
assorted auxiliarythe reeling in. Some
draw-works systems
devices. Theaccess the power from
primary functionthe motors (referred to
of the drawworksas prime movers)
through the transmission
is to reel out andto drive the rotary table
reel in the drillingon the rig.
line, a large
diameter wire
 • Mud Pumps
• The function of the mud or slush
pumps is to circulate the drilling• The main disadvantage of these
fluid at the desired pressure and pumps is that the discharge flow is
volume. The pump normally used for pulsating, which causes periodic
this service is the reciprocating piston, impact loads on discharge lines. This
double-acting, duplex type The effect is minimized by air filled surge
superiority of the piston type pump for chambers located on the discharge line.
drilling service is largely due to the Mud pumps are commonly denoted by
following features: bore and stroke. An 8 X 18-in. power
• (1) Ability to handle fluids containing pump has a piston diameter (liner size)
high percentages of solids, many of of 8 in. and a stroke length of 18 in.
which are abrasive. (2) Ease and The pulsation dampener is a vessel filled with
compressed gas. ... When a pulse is created, fluid
simplicity of operation and enters the wetted chamber of the dampener,
displacing the bladder,compressing the gas and
maintenance. Liners, pistons, and absorbing the shock. When the liquid pressure
valves may be replaced in the field by decreases, the gas expands pushing the fluid
back to the process line.
the rig crew. (3) Wide range of volume
and pressure available by using
different piston sizes.
• Prime Movers

The bulk of rig power is consumed by two operations: (1) Circulation

of the drilling fluid (2) Hoisting. Fortunately these requirements do not
occur at the same time, and the same engines perform both jobs.
Mostly used prime movers are
• Steam engines
• DC Electric (diesel generated )
• Internal combustion engines(spark plug and diesel)
• The Drill String
The rotary drillevery care
string includesshould be
the components.exercised to
1) kelly joint 2)insure its long
drill pipe andlife. Most drill
tool joints 3)string failures
drill collar Theare due to
drill string is anmaterial fatigue
extremely which has been
expensive rigaggravated by
component andcorrosion and
must be replacedimproper care
periodically; and handling.
consequently,
• Rotary bits
For the purpose of our discussion once widely used for drilling
we will classify bits into three soft, sticky formations, but in
general types as illustrated: recent years have been largely
(1) Drag type (2) Rolling cutter replaced by rolling cutter types.
(roller bits) (3) Diamond
Drag bits have no moving parts
and drill by the shoveling action
of their blades on the encountered
formation. Their water courses are
placed such that the drilling fluid
is directed on the blades, keeping
them clean. Bits of this type were
• Rolling Cutter with cable
(Rock) Bits tools in hard
The first formation
successful which are un-
rolling cutter drillable with
bit was drag bits. Bits
designed by designed for
Howard R. harder
Hughes in formations
1909. This bit, have
with successively
subsequent shorter, more
improvements, closely spaced
allowed the teeth (allowing
rotary method higher loading)
to compete
Jet Bits
Jet bits are rolling cutter bits which
have been equipped with fluid
nozzles. Each nozzle directs a high
velocity fluid jet directly on the
hole bottom which rapidly removes
the cuttings. The pressure losses
through these nozzles are
considerable and require extra
pump capacity.
Diamond bit
Diamond bits drill by a scraping, drag-bit action of
the stones which protrude from a steel matrix. Their
use is justified in many areas where their long life and
the consequent reduction in trip time affords sufficient
advantage to offset the higher bit cost. The actual cost
of a diamond bit is the initial cost less a salvage which
is paid according to the weight of undamaged diamonds
remaining after the bit's use. This commonly ranges
from 25 to 75 percent of the initial cost. Diamond bits
are normally used in hard formations. Diamond core
heads are widely used and will be discussed under
coring.