Top 5 Oilfield Service Companies in The Upstream Industry

Oilfield service companies are one of the major parts of the oil and gas exploration/production industry. Some people who would like get good pay and challenging jobs should apply for oilfield service jobs.

Top-5-Oilfield-Service-Companies-in-The-Upstream-Industry

In this industry, there are a lot of oilfield service companies and we would like you to take a look at these 5 big names in the industry. They are multinational companies therefore they will hire a lot of people from different parts of the world. Let’s get started. Continue reading

What Are Differences Between Possible and Positive Well Control Indicators?

Many people tend to confuse between possible and positive well control indicators therefore we would like to differentiate between these two well control indicators. These two concepts are vital for well control because one indicate the possibility of the kick but another one shows definite signs that the well is taking back to you. In this article, we summarize all information regarding the possible and positive kick indicators so you can use for your work.

possible-and-positive-kick-indicators

Possible Well Control (kick) Indications

Possible well control (kick) indicators mean that there is possibility to get influx into wellbore. It MAY or MAY NOT be a kick.The indications can be either kick or just formation react while drilling. You need to remember that just only a single possible indicator cannot may not good enough to identify underbalanced condition in wellbore and the possible kick indicators must be used collectively. Therefore, drilling team on the rig needs to closely monitor the well and prepare appropriate action plans.

The possible well control (kick) indications are as follows;

Change in drilling breaks (ROP change) – If the differential between formation pressure and hydrostatic pressure created by drilling mud decreases, there is possibility to increase rate of penetration because the hold down effect is decreased.

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Why Does Drillstring Fail? Basic Understanding of Drill String Failure

In drilling industry, it is common that drill string will fail while drilling. Two main factors causing drillstring failure are stresses and corrosion.

Stress Affects on Drillstring

Drillstring is exposed to the following stresses:

Tension – Suspended weight of drillstring sometimes can be several thousand pounds. Additionally, overpull weight while pulling out can be over drill string limit resulting failure (see Figure 1).

 

Drillpipe-Stress-and-Failure-1

Figure 1 – Drillstring in Tensile

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Basic Understanding About Positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry

Positive displacements pumps are generally used on drilling rigs to pump high pressure and high volume of drilling fluids throughout a drilling system. There are several reasons why the positive displacement mud pumps are used on the rigs.

• The pumps can work with fluids with high solid content.

• There are wide ranges for pressure and flow rate.

• They are more reliable and able to pump at tough conditions.

• They are easy to operate and maintain.

Duplex and Triplex pumps are positive displacement pumps which are commonly used in the oilfield.

Duplex Pumps – 2 cylinders, double acting

 positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry 1

Figure 1 – Duplex Pump

The duplex pumps (Figure 1) have two cylinders with double acting. It means that pistons move back and take in drilling mud through open intake valve and other sides of the same pistons, the pistons push mud out through the discharge valves.

The following diagrams demonstrate how duplex mud pumps work.

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Figure 2 – Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Duplex Pump

When the piston rod is moved forward, one of intake valves is lift to allow fluid to come in and one of the discharge valve is pushed up therefore the drilling mud is pumped out of the pump (Figure 2).

 positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry 3

 Figure 3 -Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Duplex Pump

 On the other hand, when the piston rod is moved backward drilling fluid is still pumped. The other intake and discharge valve will be opened (Figure 3).

Triplex Pumps – 3 cylinders, single acting

The triplex pumps have three cylinders with single acting. The pistons are moved back and pull in drilling mud through open intake valves. When the pistons are moved forward and the drilling fluid is pushed out through open discharge valves.

Figure 4 Triplex Pump

 The following diagrams demonstrate how the triplex mud pumps work.

Each diagram shows the action of one cylinder.

 positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry 5

Figure 5 – Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Triplex Pump (Discharge)

When the piston rods are moved forward, the intake valves are in close position and the discharge valves are in open position allowing fluid to discharge (Figure 5).

positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry 6 

Figure 6 Position of Piston Rod and Fluid Movement of Triplex Pump (Suction)

On the contrary when the piston rods are moved backward, the intake valve are opened allowing drilling fluid coming into the pump (Figure 6). This video below shows how a triplex mud pump works.

Which one is the most practical mud pump on the rig nowadays?

Triplex pumps are more popular than duplex pumps because of being lighter, smoother discharge and lower maintenance cost.

Calculations Related to Positive Displacement Mud Pumps

Hydraulic Horse Power (HPP)

Hydraulic Horse Power (HPP) formula is listed blow

HHP= (P x Q) ÷1714

Where;

HHP = hydraulic horsepower

P = circulating pressure, psi

Q = circulating rate, gpm

Because each pump has power rating limit as 1600 hp, this will limit capability of pump. It means that you cannot pump at high rate and high pressure over what the pump can do. Use of a small liner will increase discharge pressure however the flow rate is reduces. Conversely, if a bigger liner is used to deliver more flow rate, maximum pump pressure will decrease.

The figure 7 below shows the performance of mud pump National 12-P-160 TRIPLEX MUD PUMP.

 positive Displacement Mud Pumps in Drilling Industry 7

Figure 7 – Pump Performance Chart

As you can see, you can have 7500 psi with 4.5” liner but the maximum flow rate is only 297 GPM. If the biggest size of liner (7.25”) is used, the pump pressure is only 3200 psi.

Triplex Pump Output Formula

Triplex Pump Output in bbl/stk = 0.000243 × (liner diameter in inch) 2 ×(stroke length in inch)

Duplex Pump Output Formula

Duplex Pump Output in bbl/stk = 0.000162 × S × [2(D)2 – d2]

Where:

D = liner diameter in inch

S = stroke length in inch

d = rod diameter in inch

These formulas are based on 100% efficiency.

The actual pump output must be considered pump efficiency.

Finally, we hope that this article would give you more understanding about the general idea of drilling mud pumps. Please feel free to add more comments.

 Ref Article : https://www.drillingformulas.com/pump-output-calculation-for-duplex-pump-and-triplex-pump/

North America and Canada Oil and Gas Job Opportunities Boom

With the development of industries such as shale rock, tar sands, and deep water drilling in the United States and Canada, the oil and gas industry in North America has been booming. It is predicted that the U.S. oil production could outpace Saudi Arabia and that North America could become an exporter of energy across the globe. Since this industry is still being developed there are countless open positions from construction to the production of oil and gas itself.

Historically the United States has always had a shortage of labor. The country’s economic output is always greater than its ability to recruit the skilled labor that is needed to keep up with demand for US goods and services. This is why the United States has always required immigration to provide the labor. Most Americans have a negative birth rate, and without young people, industry cannot keep up.

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