A rotary drilling rig works by rotating a drill string, which applies downward pressure to a drill bit that grinds the earth. Drilling fluid or air is pumped down the drill string to cool the bit, carry cuttings to the surface, and stabilize the borehole.
[pdf] An automated drill rig (ADR) is an automated full-sized walking land-based drill rig that drills long lateral sections in horizontal wells for the oil and gas industry. ADRs are agile rigs that can move from pad to pad to new well sites faster than other full-sized drilling rigs. Each rig costs about $25 million. ADR is used extensively in the . According to the "Oil Patch Daily News", "Each rig will generate 50,000 man-hours of work during the construction phase and up.
[pdf] Jackup rigs are so named because they are self-elevating with three, four, six and even eight movable legs that can be extended (“jacked”) above or below the hull. Jackups are towed or moved under self propulsion to the site with the hull lowered to the water level, and the legs extended above the hull. The hull is actually a water-tight barge that floats on the water's surface. When the rig reaches the work site, the crew jacks the legs downward through the water and int.
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