Seminar on

OIL EXPLORATION & DRILLING

Seminar No: 3

By

Bushair KM (30E6)

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CERTIFICATE

BUSHAIR K.M This is to certify that Mr. ________________________________________________ has

conducted a seminar on:____________________________________________ OIL EXPLORATION & DRILLING by

__________________________________________________________________

learning the subject from various sources. Overall rating of the seminar preparation, data collection, documentation and presentation is _______________ Excellent

Director Dr.Abdul Nazer Dt:

12-11-2010

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Abstract
OIL EXPLORATION & DRILLING
Key words: oil, exploration, drilling, rig, off-shore, seismic, hydrocarbon.

Oil is a non-renevable enery source and is one of the driving forces of worlds economy. Crude oil is located on different part of the Earth under the soil. Majority of the oil is under the sea, thus off-shore oil exploration is more demanding and challenging. Oil exploration, drilling, refining, storage and transportation are some of the major stages of the entire oil production process. This seminar presents oil exploration and different drilling techniques used in this industry. I hope, this report will be useful for anyone new to oil exploration and drilling.

Bushair K.M (30E6)

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Contents
No. Description Introduction History . 2.1 What is petroleum?............................................................... 2.2 How Hydrocarbons are formed?.......................................... 3. Locating Oil. 3.1 Siesmic Survey 4. Oil Drilling Preparation 4.1 Drrilling a well.. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Oil Rig Systems/Parts and Functions. Testing Oil . Page 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 9 10

1.
2.

Types of Oil Rig 11 Work Force. Well completion .. Conclusions 11 13 14

References 15

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1. Introduction
Oil drilling is the process by which tubing is bored through the Earth's surface and a well is established. After drilling the well flows by its self pressure or a pump is connected to the tube and the petroleum under the surface is forcibly recovered from underground. Oil drilling is a highly-specialized business that grew into the largest industry on the planet by the early 21st century Offshore oil rigs work round the clock, enabling the uninterrupted production of oil. Different types of offshore oil rigs can drill wells in shallow coastal waters or in waters thousands of feet deep, with offshore drilling technology advancing each year A rig is the machine used to drill a wellbore. In onshore operations, the rig includes virtually everything except living quarters. Major components of the rig include the mud tanks, the mud pumps, the derrick and mast, the draw works, the rotary table or topdrive, the drillstring, the power generation equipment and auxiliary equipment. Offshore, the rig includes the same components as onshore, but mounted in special floating platform or installed in a drill ship. The floating platform could be a submersible type or a jack up type. Offshore rigs can be of various types depending on the water depth. Oil drilling commences with the insertion of a hole that is normally 36 inches in diameter. This hole is made with an equipment called a drilling rig, and a drilling string is attached to the rig. After the hole is created, a section of tubing, made out of steel, is inserted in the hole. At this point, a drill bit, which can either compress the rock or just cut and threw it, moves through the rock. Fluid is used both to help wear down the rock and to fetch up bits of rock that have laready been sheared from the surface A lot of additionnal operations are performed during drilling including logging (measurement versus depth or time, or both, of one or more physical quantities in or around a well) testing, completion etc.

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2. History
Over five thousand years ago, oil that had come up through the ground was being used in medication, lighting, paints and for waterproofing boats. Lighting in many homes was made possible by whale oil until the whale numbers dropped and increased the price of this oil. The demand for oil increased and many companies began looking for ways to find other sources or an alternative to oil. Coal oil was then found and used until a process for drilling for crude oil was developed. At first land oil wells were drilled then with the increased demand people began to look to drilling beneath the sea for this black gold. Over the years the oil industry has further developed and has expanded oil fields into deeper water and further away from land. Safety has become a serious issue that has improved over the years and now enables all employees to be safe and well prepared in case of disaster with full training provided by employers. Crude oil or Petroleum is created by the formation of animal and plant remains that become buried deep into the seabed as the years progress. The material will then decompose into petroleum and seep into the layers in the rocks. As the tectonic plates of the earth move the oil is then gathered into pools then drained through oil wells.

2.1 What is Petroleum?

Oil is commonly formed in rock or in sealed pockets under the seabed / at subsurface and it is from the Latin for rock oil that the word Petroleum is derived, though this name also covers natural gas as well as oil. Chemically it is a complex mixture of hydrogen and carbon with slight amount of other organics, thus called hydro-carbon. The term crude oil is commonly used for the product which is not undergone refining process. The crude oil is classified as sweet if it has very little sulphur in it, and is classified as sour if it has a great deal of sulfur in it. So a crude oil will usually be called something like a sweet, light oil, or a sour, heavy oil. The color of crude oil can range from pure black or dark brown to greenish or yellowish, depending on the composition.

2.2. How Hydrocarbons are formed?

Petroleum was formed from the remains of marine plant and animal life which existed many millions of years ago (hence it is known as a fossil fuel). Some of these remains were deposited along with rock-forming sediments under the sea where they were decomposed anaerobically (without oxygen) by bacteria which changed the fats in the sediments into fatty acids which were then changed into an asphaltic material called kerogen. This was then converted over millions of years into petroleum by the combined action of heat and pressure. At an early stage the organic material was squeezed out of its original sedimentary mud into adjacent sandstones. Small globules of oil collected together in the pores of the rock and eventually migrated upwards through layers of porous rock by the action of the oil's own
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surface tension (capillary action), by the force of water movement within the rock, and by gas pressure. This migration ended either when the petroleum emerged through a fissure as a seepage of gas or oil onto the earth's surface, or when it was trapped in porous reservoir rocks, such as sandstone or limestone, in anticlines and other traps below impervious rock layers.

3. Locating Oil
Whether employed directly by an oil company or under contract from a private firm, geologists are the ones responsible for finding oil. Their task is to find the right conditions for oil trap the right source rock, reservoir rock and entrapment. Many years ago, geologists interpreted surface features, surface rock and soil types, and perhaps some small core samples obtained by shallow drilling. Modern oil geologists also examine surface rocks and terrain, with the additional help of satellite images. However, they also use a variety of other methods to find oil. Finally, and most commonly, they use seismology, creating shock waves that pass through hidden rock layers and interpreting the waves that are reflected back to the surface.

3.1 Siesmic Survey

In seismic surveys, a shock wave is created by the following:

Compressed-air gun - shoots pulses of air into the water (for exploration over water) Thumper truck - slams heavy plates into the ground (for exploration over land) Explosives - detonated after being drilled into the ground (for exploration over land) or thrown overboard (for exploration over water)

A seismic wave is energy that moves through the earth as a result of an earthquake / artificially made by exploding dynamite or made by special vibrators. When a seismic survey is conducted, seismic waves are usually generated by dynamite or by special vibrators mounted on trucks. These vibroseis trucks, as they are known, are often used if the use of dynamite could cause serious damage to the surroundings. The trucks use heavy metal plates weighing in at over 3 tons that are placed in contact with the ground, and which are then struck with heavy hammers.
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At offshore, seismic surveys are being conducted by special ships equipped with air guns to produce shock waves and reflections are captured by hydrophones (geophone). As the seismic waves pass through the earth and encounter different materials, some of their energy is reflected off the boundaries between the different strata while other waves will pass through. The reflected energy returns to the surface, where its speed and strength is measured by special detectors, known as geophones. The geophones convert the movement of the ground into electrical signals, which are then digitized by seismometers. These signals are then processed by computers. The speed and strength of the reflected waves depends on the density of the strata they encounter. Rock becomes denser the deeper underground it is located, but pockets of gas and oil have a much lower density. The denser the material is, the faster the waves will be reflected. As the seismic waves encounter lower density materials, more of their energy passes through. By analyzing the time it takes for the waves to be reflected, geologists can build an accurate image of the subsoil by using 3D seismic interpretation software. Analysis of the seismic data provides vital information on petroleum geology of the area of interest. This information can tell us the possibility of hydrocarbon reserve availability, its depth from surface etc. Once these data are available, the company / government decide to explore further for oil or abandon the project, if found economically / technically not feasible. The land may be leased to oil operating companies for a particular period, receiving a profit from the oil produced, or the land owner arrange to drill and produce the oil. Whatever it may be, the drilling contractor has to start to drill a well. An oil / gas well is drilled from earths surface to the depth indicated by seismologists. This could be thousands of feet deeper.

4. Preparation for oil drilling

Once the site has been selected, scientists survey the area to determine its boundaries, and conduct environmental impact studies if necessary. The oil company may need lease agreements, titles and right-of way accesses before drilling the land. For off-shore sites, legal jurisdiction must be determined. After the legal issues are settled, the crew goes about preparing the land: 1. The land must be cleared and leveled, and access roads may be built. 2. Because water is used in drilling, there must be a source of water nearby. If there is no natural source, the crew drills a water producing well. 3. The crew digs a reserve pit, which is used to dispose of rock cuttings and drilling mud during the drilling process, and lines it with plastic to protect the environment. If the site is an ecologically sensitive area, such as a marsh or wilderness, then the cuttings and mud must be disposed of offsite -- trucked away instead of placed in a pit. Once the land has been prepared, the onshore rig is moved to location. As the rig is moved part by part in many trucks, it needed to be assembled together at the site. This preparation is
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known as rigging up. A rectangular pit called a cellar is dug around the location of the actual drilling hole. The cellar provides a work space around the hole for the workers and drilling accessories. The crew then begins drilling the main hole, often with a small drill truck rather than the main rig. The first part of the hole is larger and shallower than the main portion, and is lined with a large-diameter conductor pipe. Depending upon the remoteness of the drill site and its access, it may be necessary to bring in equipment by truck, helicopter or barge. Some rigs are built on ships or barges for work on inland water where there is no foundation to support a rig (as in marshes or lakes). 4.1 Drilling a well Normally drilling of a new well may take few weeks, and there will be cementing, perforation, well stimulation, well testing, well logging etc, before they hand over the well to production. Mostly new wells will take about 2-3 months to complete. For exploration wells, as the reservoir conditions are not known, every moment the program is expected to change, though the entire drilling process will be done according to the standard drilling manual of the operating company. Once the drilling to a particular depth is over, a steel casing (large OD pipe) is lowered and cemented, this will avoid any caving in. Then a little smaller diameter hole is drilled and at a particular depth it is again cased and cemented. The drilling continues with smaller diameter hole and a tubing is lowered with or without special locks (nipples) sliding doors (SSD), gas lifting valves (GLM), safety valves etc. The preparation, allocation, testing and lowering of these items with steel tubing are called well completion. Just after the drilling is over, the test completion string is run in hole to test the well to find out its characteristics. Perforation of pay zone, well stimulation etc are may be required, according to the well drilling and testing program. Once the well testing is over, the final completion is run and the well will be handed over to production. The entire procedure is depended on the objective of the well, the reservoir under study, and the method of lifting the oil. The oil operating company will have a guide line for the complete drilling, testing and completion of the particular well. Once the well is completed as per the program, company has to wait for the pipe lines to be installed for transferring the crude oil / gas to the separating / processing stations. In the case of onshore wells, the pipe lines are connected directly to well head. For offshore, to install the well head and associated equipment, a platform may have to build. The pipe lines are connected to well head and will be laid down at sea-bed. Typically a well head platform will accommodate 6-20 wells. This will reduce the investment spend on building a platform at sea. Though the well heads installed in an array on the platform, the wells will be drilled in different angles, by employing directional drilling techniques.

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5.Oil Drilling Rig Parts and Functions

Once the equipment is at the site, the crew sets the rig up. Here are the major systems of a land oil rig: Engine - Device converting the combustion of fuel and air into mechanical energy, used to drive the drilling mechanism of rig. Substructure - Metal infrastructure that supports the derrick, engines and auxiliary equipment. Vibrating mudscreen (shale shaker) - Perforated vibrating tray that is used to filter mud as it exits the well to remove debris and recycle the mud. Samples are collected for analysis by mud engineer. Lifting hook - Steel part that is attached to the traveling block; it is used to support the swivel and the drill pipes. Derrick - Metal structure erected over an oil well; tools for drilling through rock are raised and lowered through it. While drill pipes are running in hole, the derrick man engages the pipes to lifting hook. Crown block is the Mechanical device that is mounted on top of the derrick; it has several pulleys and, with the traveling block, it supports the drill pipes. Drilling Mud Is the chemical mixture pumping down to the well being drilled. The major role of mud is to counter-act and over balance the well pressure during drilling. Also mud acts as a coolant and as a media to bring the drill cuttings to surface. These cuttings will be inspected by the well site mud engineer and geologist to find the presence of hydrocarbon and to get any other useful information related to the rock / area being drilled. Mud pump - Device that circulates the mud in the drilling rig. Mud injection hose - Flexible hose that introduces the drilling mud into the swivel. Mud pit - Pit that contains mud (a mixture of water, clay and chemical products) used to counter-act the pressure from the area being drilled. Drilling draw-works - Device that consists of a cylinder on which hoisting cables are wound, it is used to lower the drill pipes and bit into the well and to lift them out. Swivel - Piece attached to the lifting hook and the kelly; it is used to introduce mud into the drill pipe to cool and lubricate the bit.
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Traveling block - Movable mechanical device with pulleys; it is attached by cable to the crown block and fitted with a lifting hook. Drill pipe - Hollow steel rods that are joined together according to the depth of the well; their rotation activates the bit. Drill collar - Heavy steel tube immediately above the bit that applies a certain weight to the bit to help it cut into the rock. This will work as a connection from drill bit to drill pipe. Bit - Rotating drill bit with toothed steel or diamond wheels; it bores into rock to break it up and drill a hole. Depend on the rock being drilled, and the hole size, the bits are selected. Rotary table - Circular table that is moved by powerful motors; it transmits its rotational movement to the drill pipes by means of the kelly. Kelly -Special square rod that is screwed to the top of the drill pipes and driven by the rotary table.

6.Testing Oil
Drilling continues in stages: The crew drills, then runs and cements new casings, then drills again. When the rock cuttings from the mud reveal the oil sand from the reservoir rock, the crew may have reached the well's final depth. At this point, crew members remove the drill pipe from the hole and perform several tests to confirm this finding:

Well logging - lowering complex electronic sensors interfaced to computers into the hole to take measurements of the rock. Drill-stem testing - lowering a mechanicsl device into the hole to study the integrity of cementing, study of reservoir Core samples - taking samples of rock to look for characteristics of reservoir rock. Once they have reached the final depth, the crew completes the well to allow oil to flow into the casing in a controlled manner. First, they lower a perforating gun into the well to the production depth. The gun has explosive charges to create holes in the casing through which oil can flow. After the casing has been perforated, they run a small-diameter pipe (tubing) into the hole as a conduit for oil and gas to flow up through the well. Finally, they connect a multi-valved structure called a Christmas tree to the top of the tubing and cement it to the top of the casing. The Christmas tree allows them to control the flow of oil from the well.

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7.Types of Off Shore Oil Rig

There are some main types of MODUs:

A jackup is a rig that sits on top of a floating barge. A ship tows the barge to the drilling site. Once positioned, the jackup can extend legs down to the sea floor. The legs are loaded in such a way that they don't penetrate the floor. Once each leg is secure, the jackup continues to ratchet the legs so that the platform rises above the water level. This keeps the rig safe from tidal motions and waves. Jackups can operate in depths of up to 525 feet (160 meters). Drill ships are ships that have a drilling rig on the top deck. The drill operates through a hole in the hull. Drill ships can pilot to the drill site and then use a combination of anchors and propellers to correct for drift as the rig drills for oil. They can operate in deep water conditions.

Semi-submersibles float on the surface of the ocean on to p of huge, submerged pontoons. Some have propulsion systems, which allow them to navigate to drilling sites under their own power while others require a second vessel to tow them to the right location. Most use several anchors -- up to a dozen -- that help maintain the structure's orientation. Computers control the tension on each anchor chain to correct for drift.

8.Work Force
The rig is headed by the rig manager (tool pusherold name) and for the night shift the in-charge will be assistant rig manager (tour pusher- old name). Driller: He will undertake a high responsibility level and is responsible for what goes on above and on the rig floor. This person has a good background of technical knowledge and drill experience. They operate the drill equipment that will create the hole in the seabed. They also have a great kn owledge about the well pressure systems, drilling fluids/ characteristics and emergency procedures. Assistant Driller: This person works as the supervisor for the Roughneck. Derrickman. The tasks include the assistance to the driller and perform the tasks required when a drilling operation is in session.
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Derrick-man: Obtained this name as they spend a lot of their time on top of the derrickracking pipe and can otherwise be found in the pump room. Can also be required to mix the drilling fluids or mud and ensure the mix is accurate with the correct chemicals and consistency. Roughneck: This person generally works on the rig floor. Responsible for the machines and equipment that is used for the drilling operation. Usually works in a group of three Pump-man / Motorman: This person works as the assistant to the Derrick-man and can work in the mud pump room or assist as a roughneck on the drill floor when required. Also known as Assistant Derrick-man. Radio officer He handles all incoming and out going communications, especially all wireless communications with supply vessels and helicopters. Past days when there was no means of advanced communication equipment, he was the focal point for all communications which was done using either radio waves or morse code. At times he acts as helicopter landing officer too. Medic: He is the medical doctor on board to handle any medical emergency. If the Medical condition of patient can not be handled at rig site, then the causality will be sent to onshore facilities. Materials coordinator / Store Keeper He will have full inventory control of all spares and other items required for smooth running of rig jobs. Any requirement for rig spares / tools will be ordered by materials coordinator. Other than rig crew, there may be following service company personals, depend on the type of well and stage drilling / testing / completion. All these service companies will have a agreement with the oil operating company. Basically drill rig also contracted to oil operating company for drilling wells as per operating company requirement. Company Man / Company representative / Drilling Superintendent: He is the head of the drill site Representative of the oil operating company. The rig crew and any service company at site should report to him. He will be in close contact with the shore / town office of the operating company. Safety officer: He will be looking after the over all safety related issues of the rig site. He will conduct a safety briefing to any new person arrived at site. He will make sure all safety related equipment are properly maintained and ready to use, if an emergency arises. H2S Officer: He will be present onsite if the well under drilling / testing has hydrogen sulphide gas present. Hydrogen sulphide is a killer gas, even in less concentration. He will make sure all breathing apparatus and H2S monitors are ready to use. Also should measure the H2S levels at well head, before drill crew / service company personals approaching it for well operations. Completion Engineer / Specialist: He co-ordinate with reservoir engineers, production engineers, drilling supervisors and prepare the final completion diagram for the well, as per the requirement made by oil company. He has to make sure all the items used in the down hole are accurately measured, tallied and entered in the drawing. Directional drilling crew : They are the specialist people who provide equipment and service to rig for drilling highly deviated / horizontal wells. Well logging crew (E line crew): Are the personals with specialized electrical cable unit and complex electronic down hole tools for well logging. Well logging is done by lowering conductive cable connected with special electronic sensors to desired depth and view / record the down hole data at surface. These data are analyzed to get more detailed and precise information about the reservoir under study. They may do perforation of the
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reservoir zones. Usually a group of 4-5 personals. Well Testing Group: Those are the personals who does the initial well testing at surface. Their study includes chemical and physical characteristics of the well content, which is flown to surface. During their study, they will assess the wells properties, which may include the maximum allowable production rate, gas oil ratio, etc. The group will have 412 people or more depend on the objective of well testing. Well Testing Engineer / Petroleum Engineer / Production Engineer: He will execute the well test job as per the program issued by oil company reservoir engineers. Also will coordinate with logging crew / slcik line crew for the down hole data during well testing. Slick-line / Wireline crew: They will have special non conductive steel cable unit and associated mechanical down hole tools for well intervention. This cable is used to deploy the down hole tools which may include removal / replacement of down hole valves, plug the well, deploy mechanical or electronic down hole instruments on memory mode which is used for reservoir data acquisition etc.. Usually crew will have 3-5 personals. Coil Tubing Crew (CT unit): Coiled tubing unit will have a 1 or 1.5 continuous hollow tubing reeled in a drum, which can be lowered to the well using hydraulic driven units. Coiled tubing unit mainly used for acid jobs, Nitrogen lifting, fishing operations etc. The crew will have 6-8 people. Mud Engineer: Will analyze the drill cuttings coming from hole, and will get the information of the rock being drilled. Also will advise the correct mud to be used for Drilling Well site Geologist / geo-physicist: To handle the information related to down hole rock properties in special cases.

9.Well Completion
Once a well has been drilled and verified to be commercially viable, it must be completed to allow for the flow of oil or gas. The completion process involves the strengthening of the well walls with casing and installing the appropriate equipment to control the flow of oil or gas from the well. Casing consists of a stacked series of metal pipes installed into the new well in order to strengthen the walls of the well hole, to prevent fluids and gases from seeping out of the well as it is brought to the surface, and to prevent other fluids or gases from entering the rock formations through which the well was drilled. Casing extends from the surface to the bottom of the well and is typically steel pipe with a diameter that may range from 7 to 36 inches. Casing with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the well hole is inserted into the well, and a wet cement slurry is pumped between the casing and the sides of the well. Casing is installed as the well is progressively drilled deeper. The top interval of the well, extending from the surface to a depth below the lowermost drinking water zone, is the first to be completed, being cemented from the surface to below the drinking water zone. Next, a smaller diameter hole is drilled to a lower depth, and then that segment is completed. This process may be repeated several times until the final drilling depth is reached.
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Conclusions
This material is prepared on the basis of general idea how the oil field is working in middleeast region. There are many different methods used for drilling and production of oil in other parts of the world. The life cycle of oil is a long one. It starts from millions of years back, when fossils are formed to till the moment we use it in many form in our day to day life. Passing through many steps to extract and use oil, we can see many of the engineering / technologies are involved in it. To name a few are, remote sensing engineering ( the technology used to capture the data using satellite), seismic studies, geography, geology, physics, petrophysics, chemistry, mining, drilling, mechanical, instrumentation, refining, mudengineering (it is a part of chemical engineering), electronics,computer science, communication and so on.

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References
Mr: Faizal Hussain Supervisor (Reservoir Data Acquisition Services) Al Mansoori Specialized Engineering Abu dhabi, UAE. Web Site: http://science.howstuffworks.com Web Site: http://www.ehow.com

Contact Info: BUSHAIR K.M bushierkm@gmail.com Mobile: +971-50-8627224

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