Drilling Rigs

Oil well drilling rigs are mechanical structures that are used to make holes in
the ground in order to reach a predetermined hydrocarbon reservoir (i.e. a
subsurface storage where oil and/or natural gas accumulate). They come in
different types and structures. They are also classified based on different
criteria. To illustrate, drilling rigs are classified based on the location they
drill at, the maximum load they can handle and the ultimate depth they
reach.
ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE ROTARY DRILLING RIGS
As mentioned previously, one of the criteria by which drilling rigs are
classified is the location where they drill. Therefore, based on this, there are
two locations where drilling rigs are used, onshore and offshore.

A. Onshore drilling rigs

These rigs represent the first development in drilling operations. Land rigs
come in different sizes and strengths. Land rigs are also classified based on
two main criteria, maximum drilled depth and mobility.

1. Classification based on the drilled depth

Land rigs generally look the same. However, their specific details are totally
different because their sizes depend on the maximum depth they drill. As a
consequence, many different types on onshore rigs are categorized based on
the ultimate depth they drill. There are four different depth categories for
land drilling rigs, as shown in table (1).

Table (1): depth classification of land rigs

Rig type Ultimate drilling depth
Light weight 2km
Medium weight 4km
Heavy weight 6km
Ultra-heavy weight Higher depth

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2. Classification based on mobility
Another feature of onshore drilling rigs is related to their transformation
way. Portable are divided into different Categories, as shown in figure (1).

Figure (1): Mobility classification of land rigs

There are two different types of land rigs, conventional and mobile drilling
rigs. Conventional land rigs are the most commonly used in petroleum
industry and they cannot be moved to the drill site as whole units. For
example, the derrick of the rig, figure (2), is assembled at the location where
the drilling will take place. In contrast, mobile (movable) rigs refer to those
in which the drilling systems are mounted on wheeled trucks, figure (3), and
they come in two different types, jackknife and portable mast.

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B. Offshore drilling rigs
The other type of drilling rigs is related to those that are used to drill in the
marine environments. While land rigs are classified according to their
mobility and the depth they drill, offshore rigs have different classification.
The classification of marine rigs is based on their movability and on how
deep the sea bed is. Water state also plays an important role in marine rig,
selection and design. Therefore, based on these, there are two different types
of offshore drilling rigs, Bottom-Supported Units and Floating Units, figure
(4).

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1. Bottom-supported units
This refers to the rigs that are on contact with the seafloor when they are
placed in position. As listed in figure (4), these types of rigs come in two
different categories, submersible and jack ups. The submersible rigs are in
contact with the seabed, submersible rigs come in four different types. The
first type, which is not used anymore because of the new designs, is the post
barges, figure (5). The second, which has been replaced by jack ups, is the
bottle types, figure (6). The other two types, shown in figures (7) and (8), are
the arctic and inland rigs.

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On the other hand, jackups, figure (9), refers to those which are supported by
three or five structured columns. Companies use this type of rigs for
different purposes. Claims that oil companies utilize jack-up rigs for lower
marine depths as well as for the exploration wells. What is more, jack-up
rigs can operate at different sea depths and can drill different well depths.
For instance, jack ups are used at marine depths of 120 meters and can drill
to about 9.1 kilometers.

2. Floating units
This type of marine rigs refers to those which are not directly in contact with
the sea bottom when placed in the drilling site. lt is shown in figure (4) that
there are two types of floating offshore rigs, semi-submersible and drilling
ships. Semi-submersible rigs, figure (10), are those which are partially
submerged below the water surface and are anchored to the seabed.
The first semisubmersible rig appeared as a consequence of an accident in
1960. This type of rigs can drill at different water depths and can drill for
different well depths. some semisubmersible rigs can operate at water
depths ranging from 300 meter to 1,000 meter (1 km) and some others can
drill at depths of about 3.7 km. They can also drill wells reaching depths of
10.7 km.

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Similarly, drilling ships, figure (11), come in different shapes and structures.
They can also drill at different water depths and can drill wells of different
depths. To illustrate, it is shown that some drilling ships can operate at water
environments of depths about 1,000 meters and others can operate at depths
of about 3,000 meters. They can also drill wells of depths about 9.1
kilometers.