| So, you want to get hired for jobs on oil | | | | - Abandonment - the rig no longer produces |
| rigs? Then you had better find out what | | | | enough oil to make a profit. Cement is pumped |
| happens on an oil rig, hadn't you? First off, | | | | into the hole, and then capped and buried. |
| you could say that an oil rig's life can be | | | | |
| divided into 4 different phases: | | | | When you are new and inexperienced, you will |
| | | | probably only be involved in the production |
| - Drilling - a hole (5 inches to 36 inches) | | | | phase. You are unlikely to be called on to |
| is drilled into the earth. During this | | | | work in the drilling and completion phases. |
| process, drilling fluid (also known as mud) | | | | |
| is pumped in to help cool down the drill bit | | | | Most wells are dug to produce oil. However, |
| and remove the rock cuttings. After this, | | | | many oil rigs also produce gas as a |
| steel tubes are inserted into the hole to | | | | byproduct. In the past, this gas is usually |
| provide structural integrity. These pipes are | | | | just burned off. Nowadays, oil companies are |
| 30 feet long, and also help to isolate | | | | more ingenious in dealing with this gas. In |
| potentially dangerous high pressure zones | | | | the US, this gas is often piped to end-users. |
| from each other and from the surface. | | | | If there is no market for natural gas near |
| | | | the oil rigs, the gas may be collected and |
| - Completion - this is just a fancy name for | | | | converted to synthetic gasoline, diesel or |
| getting the oil rig ready to pump oil. The | | | | jet fuel . This natural gas could also be |
| deepest sections of steel tubes are | | | | injected back into the reservoir, to extend |
| perforated so that oil can flow from the | | | | the life of the oil well. |
| reservoir. An additional set of tubes is | | | | |
| added to provide redundancy, allowing oil to | | | | Both onshore and offshore oil rigs share the |
| flow from the reservoir to the surface for | | | | same life cycle. The difference is that |
| collection. In older oil fields, there may | | | | offshore rigs have to be more robust, and |
| not be enough pressure underground to pipe | | | | have to be built on water. This results in |
| the oil to the surface. In this case, | | | | more complicated logistics and a higher cost. |
| additional pumps are installed. Using these | | | | Many offshore oil rigs are still relatively |
| pumps is called "secondary recovery". | | | | near land, and rig crew are commonly |
| | | | transported by helicopter, e.g. oil rigs |
| - Production - this is what you have been | | | | around the US Gulf coast. For oil rigs in the |
| waiting for. The well is connected by the | | | | deep ocean, the rig crew have to be |
| pipeline to the refinery, and the oil is | | | | transported by ship. Ship journeys take |
| finally allowed to flow. Sometimes, | | | | longer, so workers on offshore oil rig rigs |
| additional systems called "tertiary recovery" | | | | have to work for longer stretches, maybe 4 or |
| are installed to get more oil out of the | | | | 6 weeks instead of 2 weeks. |
| ground. Maintenance is also performed on the | | | | |
| oil well, including replacing the steel tubes | | | | Are you looking for offshore employment? |
| and pumps where necessary. | | | | Click here to learn how can help you to |
| | | | quickly and easily find oil employment. |