Exploring the Earth with Geophysics
The tools we use…
- Gravity
- Magnetics
- Sound waves
- Electricity
Gravity Survey (The "Gravity" of the Situation)
- In gravity prospecting, we measure very small
variations in the force of gravity from rocks
within the earth. Different types of rocks have
different densities, and the dense rocks have the
greater gravitational attraction.
- a gravitometer or referred to as “gravimeter”
measures the force of gravity in the earth
- In oil exploration, we measure changes in
gravity that may be only one-millionth or even
one-ten millionth of the earth's total gravity field
Magnetic Survey (Magnetic Rocks)
- In Magnetic prospecting we look for variations
in the magnetic field of the earth. The magnetic
field of sedimentary rocks is usually much
smaller than igneous or metamorphic rocks. This
lets us measure the thickness of the sedimentary
section of the earth’s crust.
- a “magnetometer” lets us measure the magnetic
field of the earth
Electricity and Rocks
- All rocks conduct electricity to varying degrees.
The resistance to electrical current flow is called
“resistivity”. Resistance is measured using
electrodes that are implanted in the earth.
Resistivity surveys are commonly used for
groundwater studies
- Fresh water is resistive, brackish water is
conductive
- Pyrite has little resistance. It conducts electricity
easily.
- Sandstone is very resistive. It does not conduct
electricity very easily.
Seismic Survey (Using Sound Waves to Find Oil)
- Vibroseis shake the earth
- We "listen" to sound waves using a geophone
(records SEISMIC energy like a microphone
records music)
- A “Jughustler” plants the geophones on the
ground
We can even record seismic data in the ocean
- For offshore surveys the seismic sensors are
installed in long streamers behind a boat.
Airguns serve as the energy source.
*Seismic data looks like an "Xray" image of the
Earth
*Signals from the geophones go into the
"Doghouse" where they are recorded on
magnetic tape
*An "Interpreter" studies the seismic data to
learn about the shape and kind of rocks and
where to drill an oil well
The Well
Well
- The hole made by the drilling bit, which can be
open, cased, or both. Also called borehole, hole,
or wellbore.
Types of wells
1. Wildcat well - a well drilled where no
Hydrocarbons exist
2. Exploration well - a wells drilled either in
search of an as-yet- undiscovered pool of oil or
gas or to extend greatly limits of a known pool.
3. Confirmation well - a well drilled to verify
whether a wildcat well tapped a rock layer w/
enough hydrocarbons for the company to
develop.
4. Development well - a well drilled in proven
territory in an oilfield to complete a
pattern of production
5. Infilling wells - wells drilled in between known
producing wells to exploit the reservoir better
6. Step-out wells - a well drilled adjacent to or near
a proven well to ascertain the limits of the
reservoir; also called outpost well
*What do we do after we find a reservoir?
- We Drill Into It
*What do we drill with?
- A Drilling Rig
Drilling Rig
- They are used to drill the hole, lower and cement
casing in the well, and provide a means to
perform various auxiliary functions such as
 logging and well testing. Today’s rig require
highly experienced, trained personnel for
efficient operations. If improperly selected, the
rig can cause for different problems and high
well costs.
They fall on two broad categories:
1. Cable tool rigs - A drilling rig that uses wire
rope (cable) to suspend a weighted, chisel point
bit in the hole. Machinery on the rig repeatedly
lifts and drops the cable and bit. Each time the
bit strikes the bottom of the hole, it drills deeper.
Rotary drilling rigs have virtually replaced them.
2. Rotary rigs - Rigs that uses drilling fluid, Fluid
circulation, weight on bit, rotating bit to drill a
hole. They fall under:
 Onshore rigs
 Offshore rigs
Onshore rigs - Rigs that drill on land. Example of
onshore rigs are:
 Land rigs
- The most common land rigs use either a
standard derrick or a truck mounted
derrick, or a component rig.
- They are classified according to the
maximum drilling depth they could
reach
Maximum Drilling
Rig size
Depth, Feet (Meters)
3,000 – 5,000
Light duty
(1,000 – 1,500)
4,000 – 10,000
Medium duty
(1,200 – 3,000)
12,000 – 16,000
Heavy duty
(3,500 – 5,000)
18,000 – 25,000+
Very heavy duty
(5,500 – 7,500)
 Portable rigs
- It is usually considered to be a truck-
mounted unit. The truck bed contains a
derrick, drawworks, and mud pumps. A
principal advantage of the portable rig is
the low rig-up and rig-down time as well
as lower truck requirements. Portable
units are generally restricted to light
duty work.
Offshore rigs - known as Mobile Offshore Drilling
Unit, or MODU; are the widely used drilling rig that is
used to drill offshore exploration and development wells.
It floats on the surface of the water when being moved
from one site to another, but may or may not float once
drilling begins. They are portable and classified based on
the bottom support of the rig on the sea floor either:
 Bottom-Supported Units
- They rest on seafloor or pads built on
the seafloor. They are classified either:
1. Platform rig
2. Submersibles
3. Jackups
 Platform rig - It is a kind of rig that is once
built, it will never be mobilized nor moved from
the drill site. It drills several wells on the area
where it is built. 2 kinds are:
1. Tender Assisted Platform
2. Steel jacket platform
3. Complaint platform rigs
4. Concrete Gravity Type Platform
o Concrete offshore structures are
mostly used in the petroleum
industry as drilling, extraction
or storage units for crude oil or
natural gas.
o Those large structures house
machinery and equipment
needed to drill and/or extract oil
and gas. But concrete structures
are not only limited to
applications within the oil and
gas industry.
5. Caisson Type platform
o A rigid offshore drilling
platform that stands on steel
caissons and is used to drill
development wells.
o The caissons are firmly affixed
to the seafloor, and the drilling
and production decks are laid on
top of them.
o The platform is used in certain
arctic waters, where the caissons
are needed to protect equipment
from moving ice.
 Submersibles - They float on water’s surface
when moved from one drilling site to another.
When it reaches the site, crew members flood
compartments that submerge the lower part of
the rig to the seafloor. With the base on the
seafloor, winds, waves, and current have little
effect on it. Examples are:
 1. . Posted Barge Submersibles
o It drilled its initial well in 1949
off the Gulf Coast of Louisiana
in 18 ft of water. It has a barge
hull and steel posts supported
deck and drilling equipment.
Posted barges are now virtually
obsolete, however, because
newer and better designs have
replaced them.
2. Bottle-Type Submersibles
o About 1954, drilling moved into
water depths beyond the posted
barge capabilities, which was
about 30 ft. So, naval architects
designed bottle-type
submersibles. It has four tall
steel cylinders at each corner of
the structure that when flooded,
the bottles cause the rig to
submerge to the seafloor.
3. Arctic Type Submersibles
o It is a special type of
submersible rig. Arctic type
submersibles have reinforced
hull, a caisson. One type of
caisson has a concrete base on
which the drilling rig is
installed. When the sea is ice-
free in the arctic summer, boats
tow the submersible to the
drilling site. There, workers
submerge the caisson hull
deflects the floes, enabling
operations to continue.
4. Inland Barges
o It has a barge hull- a flat-
bottomed, flat-sided, rectangular
steel box. Inland barge rigs
normally drill in marshes, bays,
swamps, or other shallow inland
waters. Boats tow them to
drilling location and when
positioned at the drilling site,
the barge is flooded so that it
rests on the bottom ooze. They
often drill in swampy shallow
waters that’s why they are also
called swamp barges.
 Jackup rig
- It is the most widely used MODU.
- It floats on a barge hull when towed to
the drilling location. A jackup’s leg can
be cylindrical columns, or they can be
open-truss structures, which resemble a
mast or a derrick.
- The largest jackups can drill water
depths up to about 400 ft, and are
capable of drilling holes up to 30,000 ft
deep.
 Floating units
- A type of MODU that floats and is not
in contact with the seafloor (except
anchors) when it is in the drilling mode.
Floating Units includes:
1. Semisubmersibles
2. Drill ships
3. SPAR
 Semisubmersibles
- A floating drilling offshore drilling unit
that has pontoons and columns that
when flooded, cause the unit to
submerge to a predetermined depth.
- Semisubmersibles are more stable than
drill ships and are extensively to drill in
wildcat wells in the rough waters
- They are capable of drilling in water
thousands of feet deep. Semis can work
in water depths ranging from 1000 to
3500 ft, and can drill holes up to 30000
ft deep.
 Drill ships
 - A self-propelled floating offshore
drilling unit that is a ship constructed to
permit a well to be drilled from it.
- Although not stable as
semisubmersibles, drill ships are capable
of drilling exploratory wells in deep,
remote waters.
- Anchors keep some of these drill ships
on station while drilling, but those
drilling in deep water require dynamic
positioning system.

 SPAR