How Offshore rigs operate and Land rigs need a lot of preparation when it comes to the paperwork to the drilling initial holes to set up the rig there is a lot of work that goes into it. In this presentation you'll learn all about how a land rig site is prepared.

1. A Look Into Land Drill Preparation
Maritime Drilling School
October 22nd, 2014

2. ✤ After surveyors have selected a site for oil drilling there
are a number of things that go into the process of
preparing a drill site. Mounds of logistical hurdles and
physical obstacles are encountered along the way.

3. ✤ First the surveyors will determine the boundaries of the
site and arrange environmental impact studies of the
location, should they be required. From the oil
company’s side of things, they’ll need to sign lease
agreements in most cases as well as right of way
accesses and titles for access to drill the area on land.
Offshore, legal jurisdiction of the site will have to be
arranged.

4. ✤ Once legal issues are cleared up there the drilling
team can prepare the site for the drilling procedure.

5. On land, crews will have to:
✤ Make sure that the land is cleared and leveled. If unaccessible, access
roads will have to be built for equipment to get to the site.
✤ Find a water source. Because drilling requires a water source there
will have to be one that is made available to the site. If there isn’t a
natural source nearby, the crew prepares the site by digging a well.
✤ Dig a reserve pit. A reserve pit is used to dispose of any excess rock
and mud that comes from the drilling process. To avoid harm to the
environment the pit is lined with a sturdy plastic sheet and should the
site be in an ecologically sensitive area, the remaining rock and mud
will be disposed of in a safe location and placed in a mobile truck.

6. ✤ The hole must then be prepared by digging a cellar.
You can see an example of what a cellar looks like to
the right. It is dug around the actual location of the
hole in a square or rectangular fashion. This, paired
with a succession of other holes around the site, allows
the rig to rest safely on the ground and provides a work
space for those near the hole made for drilling.

7. ✤ A small truck then usually takes the drilling
responsibilities on first. Because the first hole will be
shallower than the main section of the drilling, a small
truck handles the responsibilities before the main rig
then comes on. This first hole is a shallow and larger
hole from what will be the final product. Other holes
will also be dug nearby to help store equipment. After
this initial process the land rig is brought on to finish
the remainder of the drilling. You can find a numbered
key here to see the different pieces of equipment on
your average land rig.

8. ✤ How equipment is brought to the site is determined
from its remoteness. It isn’t uncommon for equipment
to be brought in by helicopter or barge and in some
cases barges become the drill site, as they are able to
access inland water. An example of this would be a
lake or a marsh.

9. Looking to learn more?
Visit www.maritimedrillingschool.org