5. Fill in the gaps with the most suitable words or terms from the text.

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8. Read the following text and fill in the table below it.

People

While it is true that you can't drill a well without a drilling rig and several companies to back up the rig, it is equally true that you can't drill a well without skilled people. Personnel run the rig and keep it running until the well reaches its objective. Let's look at some of the people involved in drilling.

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Drilling crews work for the drilling contractor. Typically, the contractor hires a rig manager , or a superintendent, for each rig. This rig manager is usually called the toolpusher. The toolpusher supervises two or three crews that operate the rig 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Besides the toolpusher, each rig has drillers, derrickhands, and rotary helpers (also called floorhands or roughnecks). Sometimes the driller designates the most experienced rotary helper as a motorhand. The motorhand performs routine service and maintenance on the rig's engines.

The toolpusher is the contractor's top hand on the drilling location. This person oversees the drilling crews that work on the rig floor, supervises all drilling operations, and coordinates operating company and contractor affairs. During the time the rig is drilling, the toolpusher usually lives in an on-site trailer or portable building and is on call at all times.

Tool pushers are in charge of keeping the rig in all necessary tools and equipment, supplies, etc. They work closely in conjunction with the company man in regards to the actual drilling of the well. In recent times, toolpushers also have taken on somewhat of an administrative role, also, as they frequently do paperwork related to the rig crew regarding payroll, benefits, etc. Usually a tool pusher has started at the bottom and worked his way up and has been in the industry for a number of years.

The driller supervises the derrickhand and the rotary helpers with direction from the toolpusher. From a control console on the rig floor, the driller manipulates the controls that keep the drilling operation under way. This person is directly responsible for the drilling of the hole.

The driller is in charge of his crew, and running the rig itself. Most of the time, his job is simply to monitor the rig's activity. He is responsible for interpreting the signals the well gives regarding gas and fluids with high pressure. In an emergency he is also responsible for taking the correct counter measures. The driller will watch for gas levels coming out of the hole, how much drilling mud is going in and other information. While tripping, the driller will run the floor and work the rig.

When crew members run drill pipe into the hole (trip in), or when they pull pipe out of the hole (trip out), the rig needs a derrickhand. The derrickhand handles the upper end of the pipe from the monkeyboard. The monkeyboard is a small platform in the derrick. A drilling crew can trip pipe in or

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out of the hole one length, or joint, at a time. Usually, however, they trip pipe in stands to speed up the process. Since a stand is two or more lengths of pipe, the job goes faster than tripping them one joint at a time. Each stand of pipe is either about 60 feet long or about 90 feet long (about 18 or 27 metres).

The contractor therefore mounts the monkeyboard in the derrick at a height of either 50 or 80 feet (15 or 24 metres), depending on how long the stands are. When the bit is drilling and the pipe is in the hole, the derrickhand climbs down from the monkeyboard and works at ground level on the drilling mud, making sure it meets the specifications for drilling a particular part of the hole.

Mud engineer (sometimes referred to as the "Mud Man", though women also do this job today) works on an oil well drilling rig, and is responsible for the drilling fluid, also known as drilling mud which lubricates the drill bit and clears cuttings from the borehole. It is a well-paid job because of the importance of maintaining the drilling fluid in efficient drilling.

Mudlogger in the modern oil field typically works for a service company contracted by the oil company (or operator) and is tasked primarily with gathering data and collecting samples during the drilling of a well to identify possible indications of hydrocarbons. They then organize this information in the form of a graphic log, showing the data charted on a graphic representation of the wellbore. The oil industry representative or company man provides mudloggers their instruction. The mudlogger is told when to start well-logging activity and what services to provide. The mudlogger may also possess logs from wells drilled in the surrounding area. This information (known as "offset data") can provide valuable clues as to the characteristics of the particular geo-strata that the rig crew is about to drill through.

Mudloggers observe and interpret the indicators in the mud returns during the drilling process. At regular intervals the mudlogger logs properties such as drilling rate, mud weight, flowline temperature, natural gas content and type, oil indicators, pump pressure, pump rate, lithology (rock type) of the drilled cuttings, and various other items of interest. The job of a mudlogger requires a good deal of diligence and attention. Sampling the drilled cuttings must be performed at predetermined intervals, and can be difficult during rapid drilling. Another important task of the mudlogger is to monitor gas levels and notify other personnel on the rig when gas levels may be reaching dangerous levels, so appropriate steps can be taken to avoid a dangerous well blowout.

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Roughneck (or ruffneck) is a slang term for an unskilled or slightly skilled laborer in a number of industries. In particular, it is the official name of a semi-skilled role on a North American oil rig. A roughneck's duties could include anything involved with the connecting and "tripping" of pipe down the well bore, and the roughneck is the person when it comes to general work around the rig.

Roustabout is a laborer typically performing temporary, unskilled work. "Roustabout" is also an official classification of oil rig personnel. Roustabouts working in the North American oil fields typically perform various jobs requiring little training. However, they frequently turn out to be long term employees and take on more difficult and sometimes dangerous jobs as they gain experience. Most go on to at least become roughnecks.

Motorman is the person who operates an electrified trolley car, tram, light rail, or rapid transit train. The term refers to the person who is in charge of the motor (of the electric car) in the same sense as a railroad engineer is in charge of the engine. А motorman is the member of the drilling crew who is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the engines on an oil rig.

Floorhand: Works the "make-up" tongs on the Driller side of the drilling floor while tripping in the hole.

Depending on the size of the rig, its equipment, and other factors, a contractor usually hires two or three rotary helpers for each work shift. On small rigs drilling shallow wells, for example, two rotary helpers on a shift can safely and efficiently perform the required duties. On large rigs drilling deep holes, the job may require three rotary helpers, but not always. In any case, rotary helpers handle the lower end of the drill pipe when they are tripping it in or out (спускоподъемная операция) of the hole. They also use large wrenches called tongs to screw or unscrew (make up or break out) the individual stands of pipe. Besides handling pipe, rotary helpers also maintain the rig, help repair it, and keep it clean and painted.

Besides the drilling crew, many other persons work at the rig site. They may, be there during the entire time the well is being drilled, or they may come out only when their expertise or equipment is needed.

The operating company customarily has its own person on the drill site to supervise its interests. The company representative, like the toolpusher, usually lives on the rig site in a trailer or, portable building, and is in charge

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of all the operator's activities on the location. This person helps plan the strategy for drilling the well, orders all the needed supplies and services, and makes on-site decisions that affect the well's progress. The company representative and the toolpusher usually work closely together.

(Baker R. “A Primer of Oil Well Drilling”, 2001, Austin, Texas)

9. Match the words in the right column with the definitions in the left one.

10.  Listen to the description of a reservoir engineer’s job and fill in the missing word or words (no more than FOUR words). The first word is given as an example.

The world’s demand for oil and (0) natural gas is unceasing. To find new supplies of these (1) __________ we depend on petroleum engineers. They search the world for reservoirs containing (2) __________ and work with geologists and other specialists to extract it. First the team (3) __________ of the underground and devices drilling methods, designing equipment and processes for that particular target. To get the most from each reservoir, petroleum engineers also develop (4) __________ such as injecting water, steam, chemicals or gases into the reservoir to force out the oil and natural gas. Computer modeling is often used to explore drilling and (5) __________

and techniques. This work requires a combination of complex knowledge with a (6) __________. The work takes you where oil and gas is found from America’s west and south west, overseas to (7) __________ and up to the frozen North. You might work for a major oil company, (8) __________ or a small consulting firm. To begin with you’ll need creative and practical (9)

__________ and the patience to work with a team on highly detailed plans. A bachelor’s degree in Engineering is generally required, twoor four-year technology programs mainly to similar jobs. But the individual can’t register as (10) __________ under the same terms as graduates with a degree in Engineering.

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11. Match the questions about companies, people and their duties on the left with the answers on the right.

12. Role game: “Who is guilty? Who should be fired?”

An incident took place in a drilling site which led to well shutdown. A company man should find the guilty one who will be fined and fired.

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UNIT 4

DRILLING

Drilling Rig Components. Rigging Up

If you are interested in oilwell drilling, a good way to learn about it is to visit a drilling rig.

Lead-in

Looking at the diagram, describe your variant of the oil well drilling preparation procedure.

Land preparation Legal issues Well cellar

1Pay special attention to the pronunciation and stress of the following words.

2. Read the text “Prepare to Drill” paying attention to the terms in bold and compare your variant of preparation to drill with that one mentioned in the text.

Prepare to Drill

Once the site has been selected, it must be surveyed to determine its boundaries and environmental impact studies may be done. Lease agreements, titles and right-of-way accesses for the land must be obtained and evaluated legally. Once the legal issues have been settled, the crew goes about preparing the land:

1.the land is cleared and levelled 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, they drill a water well;

3.they dig a reserve pit, which is used to dispose rock cuttings and drilling mud during the drilling process, and line it with plastic to protect the environment. If the site is an ecologically sensitive area,

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Terms and Vocabulary (Drilling Components) accumulator unit

backup tongs blowout preventer

casing centrifuge

choke manifold

circulation system crown block degasser

derrick desander

desilter doghouse

drawworks driller’s console drill string

drilling line elevators hook hopper

kelly

kelly bushing mast masterbushing mechanical system monkeyboard

mousehole mud pit

3. Read the text “Drilling Rig Components” and do the exercises.

Drilling Rig Components

Once the equipment is at the site, the rig is set up. Here are the major systems of a land rig:

1.Power system

•Large diesel engines – burn diesel fuel oil to provide the main source power;

•Electrical generators – powered by the diesel engines to provide electrical power;

2.Mechanical system

•Hoisting system – used for lifting heavy loads; consists of a mechanical winch (drawworks) with a large steel cable spool, a block-and-tackle pulley and a receiving storage reel for the cable;

•Turntable – part of the drilling apparatus;

3.Rotating equipment

•Swivel – large handle that holds the weight of the drill string; allows the string to rotate and makes a pressuretight seal on the hole;

•Kelly – four\six-sided pipe that transfer rotary motion to the turntable and drill string;

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•Turntable (rotary table) – drives the rotating motion using power from electric motors;

•Drill string – consists of drill pipe (connected sections of about 30ft\10m) and drill collars (large diameter, heavier pipe that fits around the drill pipe and places weight on the drill bit);

•Drill bit – end of the drill that actually cuts the rock;

4.Casing – large-diameter concrete pipe that lines the drill hole; prevents the hole from collapsing and allows drilling mud to circulate

5.Circulation system – pumps drilling mud (mixture of water, clay and weighting material and chemicals; used to lift rock cuttings from the drill bit to the surface) under pressure through the kelly, rotary table drill pipes and drill collars:

•Pump – sucks mud from the mud pits and pumps it to the drilling apparatus;

•Pipes and hoses – connects pump to drilling apparatus;

•Mud-return line – return mud from hole;

•Shale-shaker – shaker \sieve that separates rock cuttings from the mud;

•Shale slide – conveys cuttings to the reserve pit;

•Reserve pit – collects rock cuttings separated from the mud;

•Mud pits – where drilling mud is mixed and recycled;

•Mud-mixing hopper – where new mud is mixed and then sent to the mud pits;

6.Derrick – support structure that holds the drilling apparatus: tall enough to allow new sections of drill pipe to be added to the drilling apparatus as drilling progresses.

7.Blowout preventer – high-pressure valves (located under the land rig) that relieve pressure when necessary to prevent a blowout (uncontrolled gush of gas or oil to the surface, often associated with fire).

(Baker R. “A Primer of Oil Well Drilling”, 2001, Austin, Texas)

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4. Match the words in the left column with the definitions in the right one.

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5. Describe the function of the following elements, using the words given in the right column.

6. State whether the following sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1.The kelly is hexagonal. The reason for that is to make it possible for the rotary table to turn the kelly without slipping.

2.Cement job is performed only when quality of casing is poor.

3.Drill pipe is hollow. The reason for this is to make it possible for the mud to pass through it.

4.Elevator is a device for lifting derrickman to the monkey board.

5.Drilling crew members use scratchers to scratch each other and thus clean themselves of oil.

6.Doghouse is a room where security guard and patrol dog live.

7.Drilling cuttings are washed out to the surface with drilling mud made of clay and water.

8.Shale shaker is used for separating fluid from drilling cuttings.

9.Cuttings in a well mean cracks on wellbore walls.

10.Conductor is a person who knows everything at the drilling site. He is in charge of coordinating work of drilling crews.

7.Translate the following sentences into English.

1.При бурении шлам вымывается с забоя скважины буровым раствором.

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