6 INTRODUCTION TO DRILLING AND WELL COMPLETIONS

1-3 DRILLING FUNDAMENTALS supposed to support 10,000 ft and, in some cases, as

The basic principles and technology of drilling an oil or
gas well are established and are described in texts
(Bourgoyne et al., 1991; Mitchell, 1993; Gatlin, 1960).
The following is a brief overview of drilling fundamen-
tals.
1-3.1 Equipment
Drilling a petroleum well is a complex process that
requires large, heavy-duty equipment. A conventional
drilling rig consists first of a structure that can support
several hundred tons. A ‘‘million-pound’’ rig is routinely
much as 30,000 ft of drillpipe and additional equipment.
A drill bit (Figure 1-4) is attached to the bottom of the
drillpipe by one or more drill collars. The entire assembly
ends at the floor of a drilling rig and is connected to a
rotary table. This table, along with a special joint called
the kelly, provides rotational motion to the drilling
assembly.
While rotary drilling has dominated the petroleum
industry in the last 50 years, cable-tool drilling preceded
it and was the mainstay of early drilling. In some rare
cases, it is still used today. For cable-tool drilling, the
drilling assembly is suspended from a wire rope. The
assembly is then reciprocated, striking blows to the for-

Crown Block

Derrick

Engines

Traveling Block

Mud Mud Pits

Pumps

Kelly
Rotary
Table

Drillpipe

Drill Bit

Figure 1-4 Rotary drilling rig with the important components