What is reverse circulation during drilling?
Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling is one of the three main types of mineral exploration techniques offered by Ranger. Used to compile sample rock cuttings, the drilling process relies on hollow inner tubes to transport samples back to the surface in a continuous flow, using compressed air.
What is an RC rig?
Reverse Circulation drilling, or RC drilling, is a method of drilling which uses dual wall drill rods that consist of an outer drill rod with an inner tube. These hollow inner tubes allow the drill cuttings to be transported back to the surface in a continuous, steady flow.
Who makes oil rigs?
According to Statista, the key US land drilling contractors are: Nabors Industries Ltd, Helmerich & Payne Inc, Patterson-UTI Energy Inc, Precision Drilling Corporation and Pioneer Energy Services Corp.
What is dual wall reverse circulation drilling?
Dual-wall reverse-circulation drilling uses flush-threaded double-wall drill pipe and high-pressure air to provide continuous return of formation and water samples. Cuttings and formation waters are not contaminated with drilling additives or mixed with other borehole material.
What is aircore drilling?
Air Core drilling utilises high-pressure air and dual walled rods to penetrate the ground and return the sample to the surface through the inner tube and then through a sampling system. The ground is cut through with the use of a steel blade type bit.
Who is the largest drilling contractor?
The world’s biggest offshore drilling companies
- Schlumberger – $32.8bn.
- Halliburton – $23.99bn.
- Baker Hughes – $22.9bn.
- Petrofac – $5.83bn.
- Weatherford – $5.74bn.
- China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL) – $3.17bn.
- Nabors Offshore – $3.05bn.
- Transocean – $3.01bn.
How deep can RC drill go?
RC drill rigs with their considerably larger equipment can typically reach depths of 300 to 600m. Depending on rig size and ground conditions, there has allegedly been holes drilled to a max depth of over 800m.
How fast is RC drilling?
RC drilling achieves higher production rates and can achieve up to 200/300 metres per day. This means that results can be delivered to clients faster, as the drilling itself takes less time.
What large oil company owns the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon?
Transocean
The Deepwater Horizon rig, owned and operated by offshore-oil-drilling company Transocean and leased by oil company BP, was situated in the Macondo oil prospect in the Mississippi Canyon, a valley in the continental shelf.
Is RC drilling hard work?
RC drilling works well in both overburden and soft, broken rock formations but its main strength is when it gets to hard composite rock. It is cost efficient due to the simplicity of the percussive drilling process and because the equipment needed is less complex.