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The growth and evolution of offshore drilling units have gone from an experiment in the 1940s and 1950s with high hopes but unknown outcome to the extremely sophisticated, high-end technology and highly capable units of the 1990s and 2000s. In less than 50 years, the industry progressed from drilling in a few feet of water depth with untested equipment and procedures to the capability of drilling in more than 10,000 ft of water depth with well-conceived and highly complex units. These advances are a testament to the industry and its technical capabilities driven by the vision and courage of its engineers, crews, and management. From an all-American start to its present worldwide, multinational involvement, anyone involved can be proud to be called a "driller." Since the beginning in the mid-1800s until today, the drilling business commercially has been very cyclic. It has been and still is truly a roller-coaster ride, with rigs being built at premium prices in good economic times and ...
- Europe (1.00)
- Asia (1.00)
- Africa (0.67)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.67)
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- North America > United States > Texas > East Texas Salt Basin > Shell Field (0.93)
- North America > United States > California > Union Oil Field (0.93)
- Information Technology > Knowledge Management (0.40)
- Information Technology > Communications > Collaboration (0.40)
Considering the many complex factors involved in successfully operating a mobile offshore drilling unit, one may ask, "How do I pick the right drilling rig for the job?" The answer is that often there is more than one rig type that technically can do the job. A review of related topics will show many items that must be considered. First and foremost, the operator must take the time and effort to be knowledgeable about mobile offshore drilling units (MODUs), drilling contractors, the equipment involved, and the relationship between all the parties (operator, drilling contractor, and third parties). Surprisingly, this does not always occur.
- Information Technology > Knowledge Management (0.40)
- Information Technology > Communications > Collaboration (0.40)
The jackup-type mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) has become the premier bottom-founded drilling unit, displacingsubmersibles and most platform units. The primary advantage of the jackup design is that it offers a steady and relatively motion-free platform in the drilling position and mobilizes relatively quickly and easily. Although they originally were designed to operate in very shallow water, some newer units, such as the "ultra-harsh environment" Maersk MSC C170-150 MC, are huge (Figure 1) and can be operated in 550 ft in the GOM. This type of unit can be commercially competitive only in the North Sea and in very special situations. Figure 1--Maersk's giant jackup (largest in the world) designed for deepwater use (550 ft in the GOM) and harsh North Sea environment.
- Europe > United Kingdom > North Sea (0.45)
- Europe > Norway > North Sea (0.45)
- Europe > North Sea (0.45)
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- Information Technology > Knowledge Management (0.40)
- Information Technology > Communications > Collaboration (0.40)
Offshore drilling began in 1897, just 38 years after Col. Edwin Drake drilled the first well in 1859. H.L. Williams is credited with drilling a well off a wooden pier in the Santa Barbara Channel in California. He used the pier to support a land rig next to an existing field. Five years later, there were 150 "offshore" wells in the area. By 1921, steel piers were being used in Rincon and Elwood (California) to support land-type drilling rigs. In 1932, a steel-pier island (60 90 ft with a 25-ft air gap) was built ½ mile offshore by a small oil company, Indian Petroleum Corp., to support another onshore-type rig. Although the wells were disappointing and the island was destroyed in 1940 by a storm, it was the forerunner of the steel-jacketed platforms of today.[1] In 1938, a field was discovered offshore Texas.
- North America > United States > Texas > East Texas Salt Basin > Shell Field (0.93)
- North America > United States > California > Union Oil Field (0.93)
- Information Technology > Knowledge Management (0.40)
- Information Technology > Communications > Collaboration (0.40)
SPE and IADC Member Abstract A commonly held industry viewpoint is that deep water (WD) jackup (250–350 ft plus (WD) is the preferred rig type over a shallow water semisubmersible (600–1000 ft WD) from almost any viewpoint including potential rig downtime. A time study was potential rig downtime. A time study was conducted with various operational scenarios that show from the time a jackup/semisubmersible starts to move on location to drill out of surface casing the semisubmersible (SEMI) should on location to drill out of surface casing the semisubmersible (SEMI) should on average perform the operation in 1.8 to over 4.7 days faster than a deep water jackup. Also for the permanent while abandonment to moving off location, the SEMI on average will be able to accomplish the same in 0.6 to 1.5 plus days faster than a deep water jackup. Summing the start and finish operations for the well, the SEMI on average assuming a good, steady, reasonably trouble free operation for both type units should be quicker by 2.4 to 6.2 days. With current contract day rates, and costs of wellheads, casing, rental of BOP, etc., a shallow water SEMI total well cost will generally be less than a deep water jackup. Introduction Since the conception of jack-up (JU) and floating type drilling rigs in the mid to late 1950's, the prevailing opinion has been that a jack-up rig will always be preferred over a floating rig assuming preferred over a floating rig assuming both are capable of drilling the well. Historically jack-ups have had a lower day rate, are simpler units to operate, are similar to land operations, require less knowledge of marine environment and equipment, and in general "less can go wrong" compared to a floating unit. In water depths (WD) of less than 200 feet the overall economics and operating efficiency of shallow water jack-up generally favors them over a shallow water semi-submersible (SEMI). However the so called deep water jack-up (DWJU), which can operate in water depths of 200–300 feet and particularly those form 300–375 plus feet, have become considerably larger plus feet, have become considerably larger than earlier designs and have become much more costly than the standard shallow water SEMI available in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Due to experience, the lessening of the "mystique" and viewed complexity of floating drilling, and in conjunction with inherent operational characteristics of both units, it can now be said that in many cases a shallow water SEMI can operate more efficiently, with less downtime risk, and thus less cost then a deep water jack-up. It is the purpose of this paper to present a number of points via inherent operating characteristics, risk, economics, etc., for both type units that demonstrate the above qualitative statement. P. 71