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View Full Version : Special Interest Piece - Pics of a Triple Drilling Rig - Akita 28



coolpool
06-26-2014, 02:58 PM
Thought I'd share a few shots of the rig working at our site, it should be on site for two years. That's good news for job security. This would be the same as you might see on the reality show "Licenced to Drill" filmed in Canada. I'm sorry to say that's as close as I could get for pics as my phone is not intrinsically safe. It never ceases to amaze me the sheer size of that thing. There's a large Front End Loader with "floater" tires on it parked by it for reference in one of the pics. The rig walks on it's own power from well to well dragging everything behind it with all the drill pipe in place and the derrick up! It can even spin 360 degrees. Not as big as the Space Shuttle transporter but cool in it's own way. Total drill pipe length to the end of the well is around the 1700 meter mark. Think of the rotational torque to spin that mass of pipe and bit. If you look closely at the drill bits, the circular and oval bits on the sides are diamonds. Each bit costs 40K; with each well costing $1M to drill. They're putting in 30 more, glad I'm not paying for it.

plastikosmd
06-26-2014, 07:24 PM
Wow, thx for pics

jays375
06-26-2014, 08:45 PM
Lot's of drill rigs around my house.

Dirtcrasher
06-27-2014, 07:15 PM
Are those cutting heads completely carbide?? Or welded on what material??

That rig is amazing.

atc007
06-27-2014, 09:32 PM
They are a city upon themselves for sure. They used a walker rig close to us. They are quite Large :) :) Where are all the support systems Pete? Company man,mud man, tankers,buffalos etc? Steve, A master welder bud of mine accidentally fell into doing a TON of welding for a "smaller " rig having horrific troubles breaking/sticking bits. He said there's some neat metals at work here :) I personally wish they would go back the he!! where they came from... But,that's just me,and it aint gonna happen. Thanx for show and tell Pete! Very cool for those who haven't seen one. And no,,,these pics don't do it justice unless you do focus on that loader!!!

El Camexican
06-27-2014, 10:19 PM
Worn out drilling heads being used as lawn ornaments was all the rage the last time I was in Edmonton.

coolpool
06-29-2014, 07:58 PM
Are those cutting heads completely carbide?? Or welded on what material??

That rig is amazing.

Good question. It appears to me that the cutting wheels have a built up weld on the teeth. Not sure of the material. They are sent out for rebuild when worn out if they don't get destroyed. I was told the cutting wheels are missing sometimes or the whole end gets ground off if the driller get's too aggressive. Next time I'm over there I'll ask about them.

coolpool
06-29-2014, 08:02 PM
They are a city upon themselves for sure. They used a walker rig close to us. They are quite Large :) :) Where are all the support systems Pete? Company man,mud man, tankers,buffalos etc? Steve, A master welder bud of mine accidentally fell into doing a TON of welding for a "smaller " rig having horrific troubles breaking/sticking bits. He said there's some neat metals at work here :) I personally wish they would go back the he!! where they came from... But,that's just me,and it aint gonna happen. Thanx for show and tell Pete! Very cool for those who haven't seen one. And no,,,these pics don't do it justice unless you do focus on that loader!!!

Sorry I didn't get any pics of the support systems. Wish I was able to get some up on the drilling platform. It's definitely a love/hate relationship with all the drilling going on for this area. Alberta is driving the Canadian economy right now but it brings the bad with it. Now a young family can look forward to spending 300K on a starter home near a lake that's frozen 6 months of the year, lol.

DohcBikes
06-29-2014, 08:11 PM
Awesome post coolpool. I've always been enamored with the history of Howard Hughes, and without his tricone rotary rock bit invention, the world would likely be a very different place altogether.

I know not the exact bit you have pictured, but the bits range from made of completely tungsten carbide to just the teeth to hardfaced steel to diamond, etc. So, all different types depending on the terra/application.

chargercharlie
06-29-2014, 08:17 PM
Those are roller cone rock bits those aren't that expensive. .its the PDC bits that get to be 30-40k

chargercharlie
06-29-2014, 08:23 PM
Heres a couple pics of my rig..

DohcBikes
06-29-2014, 08:44 PM
Those are roller cone rock bits those aren't that expensive. .its the PDC bits that get to be 30-40k
Thought so.

The bits you are showing Pete, i think can be sourced for well under 10k each. Still out of my budget lol!

chargercharlie
06-29-2014, 09:30 PM
We run those roller cones on surface and occasionally on intermediate sections or dictated by the formation..however because the inherent issue of the cones wanting to break off and the fact that they only want to run a certain amount of hours on them (usually 100hrs or less) that we run Mostly PDC(polycrystalline diamond compact) bits..which are quite expensive. .and last longer..ofcourse this is depending on what tools your running in your bha (bottom hole assembly)Mud motors and MWD tools have an hour limit on them too..It really boils down to whatever the drilling company wants to run..

atc007
06-29-2014, 09:43 PM
Very interesting Charlie! Is Chesapeake Hated out there as they are here? They are Lucipher around here. Land owners over a year into production with not so much as a division order. Chief seems to be better..

chargercharlie
06-29-2014, 10:06 PM
Im not sure on the land owner side of things..Im the Derrick man on that rig I pictured so im part of the day to day operations on that rig and not apart of the completions aspect of things..when we move the rig I really dont hear anything of that well as it usually takes a while for them to work the well over and frac it..occasionally I meet a land owner who wonders on the pad with their horse or dirtbike or whatever and they are quite happy we are there..I would be too considering they get paid for us to be on there land and if we successfuly finish the well and it produces they get royalty. .There was a story I heard years ago of a land owner building this giant house in anticipation of the royalties from said well only for us to plug and abandon the well for several reasons..so morale of the story is dont count your chickens before they hatch;)

jays375
06-29-2014, 10:43 PM
Around here we refer to "Chief Oil and Gas" as "Cheap Oil and Gas".They are slower than snails at developing there leases.Nobody dislikes the drilling companies.They are very well liked.I was supposed to get a tour when they drilled on the in laws property.In the end didn't get a chance to.I know guys who work on drill rigs.Long hours,but all like it.They say it is a very positive work environment.Hopefully next time they come to drill I will get a tour.

chargercharlie
06-29-2014, 11:34 PM
The job has its ups and downs just like any other job..its not for everyone and some folks figure it out quick..but we all spend more time with each other than our families and we are like family. .there was a show called black gold on trutv that portrayed us as a bunch of fighting drunks ..in reality we laugh at douch bags such as the folks on that show ..and how scripted and fake it was..we weed people out like that and as ive said before they dont make it very long in our little tight knit family ;) New guys do get heckled a little bit but its kind of a right of passage to put it in a nice way ;)

coolpool
06-30-2014, 12:39 AM
Those are roller cone rock bits those aren't that expensive. .its the PDC bits that get to be 30-40k

You guys could be right, just quoting what the driller said. You have to remember this is the land of brutally expensive, lol.