Working in the oilfield

[SnapShot]

I was wondering who all on here works in the Oilfield. It’s a small patch these days. I own & operate a second generation power tong company with my brothers currently, any one else out there working in the patch?

This morning casing run

[sonny]

Retired 2018 from Suncor

[Hammer spur]

24 years in the mud and snow.
Currently a lead at a water treatment facility.
If anyone has any sour fluid they need cleaned super fast and cheap let me know.
On site or at our kabob plant.
I would imagine the majority of alberta sportsman are involved in oil and gas in some way.

[Walleyes]

Starting year 36 for me. Worked my way up through the ranks on the Drilling rigs and have been a wellsite supervisor for 17 years now. Been keeping busy the last 5 years with Arc Resources up in the Dawson Creek / FSJ country. Great company to work for by far the best I've been around they treat us very well. We’ve been a fortunate group of guys as we’ve hardly known there was a slow down over the last few years. The e kept a core group of us working steady, even too much at times because we don’t want them to bring on additional guys when it’s a little busier. 

[SnapShot]

Been busy sending casing south with a few casing jobs a day. Here are a few latest pics.

[greylynx]

Question:

How is the amount of casing on a rig measured? Is there a ratio between casing and how deep you drill?

Please consider my question from a dumbass who knows nothing. So please be easy on me.

[Doug N]

I do. 27 years since I started my first apprenticeship. As of tomorrow, I’ll be 20 years working in Conklin. Lots of changes to the area and our industry in that time!

[Walleyes]

Question:

How is the amount of casing on a rig measured? Is there a ratio between casing and how deep you drill?

Please consider my question from a dumbass who knows nothing. So please be easy on me.

Wells are drilled to a pre determined depth decided on by Geology and the Reservoir Engineers. The depth is drilled to a combination of casing length and a chosen FTD (Final Total Depth). Most of today’s drilling is Horizontal drilling so FTD’s are quite a bit more flexible as far as how far we can go, all with in reason of course. Unless you are drilling towards a hard boundary generally someone else’s property in which case we drill to as close as possible to the preferred TD but still fit in casing. Casing is generally in 12.50 to 13.50 meters lengths so you drill your wellbore accordingly. When we start a well we pre order the casing as per the drilling program and Directional program which gives us the depth they want to drill to. As we drill along we strap (measure the casing ) and come up with a length that is closest to what the program wants. If our length is a couple meters longer and we have no hard boundaries that’s where we will drill to. If we have a hard boundary we will set as close to but not over the preferred depth.

Hope this is clear.

[Sooner]

Dumb Question, with all the hype about anti oil and moving on to greener initiatives, is the patch still a good place for a job? I read that they are still looking for workers, so what part of the patch is in the most need now for workers?

[greylynx]

Thank you Walleyes. That lesson was very clear.

I have one more question if possible, and that is in regards to Drilling Mud.

Is the application of and the density of the mud used calculated beforehand like the casing, or does one gauge the amount of mud to be used as the hole is being drilled.  In other words, does one have to judge the mud used due to unforeseen pressures that may encountered?

[Walleyes]

Dumb Question, with all the hype about anti oil and moving on to greener initiatives, is the patch still a good place for a job? I read that they are still looking for workers, so what part of the patch is in the most need now for workers?

We are very short of hands right now, lots of guys left when it slowed and really lots of them should have. A secure job,, does anyone know what that is or what that job is, I haven’t seen one yet. If you look at all reasonable predictions for oil usage they all predict oil usage to rise for the next 25-30 years then slowly come back down. If you do the math in 50 years we will be where we are right now. Then go down from there. The way the US is going at it they will be dry in 20 years, their best producing fields other than the north slope are on severe decline already and they are having a hard time meeting their obligations. There is going to be a huge demand for Canadian oil yet. For myself personally I’m not worried, if I get another 10 years I’m done anyways. I do have a son that just started out on the rigs, he’s out on my rig actually. And yes I’m concerned that if he chooses to stay can he make a career out of it. In all honesty yes I think he can and if not like I said what can you do that is for sure. In the mean time he may as well make decent money. He was a Red Seal lead auto body painter for two year in Boniville and took home on average 4500/ month. He’s Roughnecking on our rig taking home 8000/ month and it only goes up from there.

[Walleyes]

Thank you Walleyes. That lesson was very clear.

I have one more question if possible, and that is in regards to Drilling Mud.

Is the application of and the density of the mud used calculated beforehand like the casing, or does one gauge the amount of mud to be used as the hole is being drilled.  In other words, does one have to judge the mud used due to unforeseen pressures that may encountered?

For the most part like 95% of the areas we know what the formation pressures are. There’s enough holes in the ground this day and age little surprises us. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen that’s why we train and practice and test our blow out equipment relentlessly to be ready for the un expected. For the most part we know what our density has to be and we have it prepared as we drill ahead, remember our fluid density is our first line of defence, with out our fluid things are bad. We test the fluid at least once an hour to ensure it’s being maintained. On top of that we have gas meters set up on the returning fluid line from the well constantly reading the gas content of the fluid coming out of the well. If we see it starting to rise we raise the density until we stabilize it and see it coming down. This is a bit of a game as when we drill tight formations we release gas from the cutting as they come to surface and will give you a high reading. If we aren’t sure we will stop and circulate the hole clean just to see if it’s released gas or formation gas. At times we have to slow our drilling to allow the wellbore time to clear itself. But there are still the times it surprises us, especially up in this country where it will kick at you or start to flow and we have to shut it in, take our readings and mix and weight up our fluid and kill the well. We have more monitors and sensors and tank gauges going out here, if you fart to much an alarm will go off lol. But even with that every once and a while we get a surprise and it gives us a good shot, condi is the worst because it won’t release it’s gas because it’s trapped in fluid until it’s just about at surface then it lets it go all at once and makes a bit of a mess of the rig. If it’s a condi kick we shut it in and circulate it out through our manifold building it’s a set of high pressure valves that keep it closed in until the well is clear and we drill ahead and bring up the weight to hold it back. Lots of math going on out here all the time, lots of math lol.

[Walleyes]

Hers one for yah all.

[blacktail]

came to Alberta from the west coast in 2006
working as a bulk driver for one of the well service companies

[SnapShot]

Last couple of days?

[SnapShot]

Going to bump this bad boy, man it sure feels like forever since I worked last even though we went into first week of April this year. I’m pretty excited to be doing some service rig work next week. Going to be a great time. Excited to hear a floor motor & draw works come alive again. Any one else hearing some positivity in the oil & gas sector?

[Hammer spur]

Pretty much dead in the water still but companys are starting to ask for bids so that's a good sign I guess.

[Walleyes]

We have been pretty lucky. Rigs kept going until May 19th then we racked one and kept one on a half finished pad and they had us doing a rig watch rotation 12 days in and roughly 21 off giving us enough income to pay bills anyways. We are starting up the first rig July 2nd and the second rig end of July beginning of Aug weather depending if they can get our pad built in time. So looking not too bad for us.

[SnapShot]

Wow, that’s unheard of these days there walleye’s. You ever need a tong hand I could be your guy that’s forsure. I used to do lots for arc many moons ago. I got done my service rig work. Pulled a tie back string then. Pulled and re ran a string of 5.5” for a injection well. Sure felt good to be working again...