Oilfield Services, also known as oil & gas drilling or well service, is a wide-ranging, highly specialized field requiring extensive training and experience. Since demand for these fuels varies with the economy, oilfield services contracts are generally considered to be cyclical. Companies in this field are of two basic types: those who lease drilling rigs and those who provide all the services needed to test, build, and maintain oil & gas wells. While the need for each type of company may vary, the amount of work required and expertise necessary to perform the work will remain consistent from one company to another. There are several basic areas that both types of companies need to cover.
All oilfield services sectors require basic equipment that must be constantly upgraded for both safety and efficiency. Basic drilling rigs require sufficient space for operation, electrical lighting and telephone connections, ventilation and water storage systems, workbenches, and computers and other communication tools. Upgrading drilling rigs is a constant challenge because the technology used and the size of the equipment dictate frequent upgrades. The number of drilling rigs in operation today requires many operators who hold a number of skills, but all are very important to the oil-price sector.
In the rig business, oilfield services companies are responsible for providing workers to maintain and repair machinery on-site. Many rigs are located in either geothermal hot springs areas where temperature conditions are favorable. Although technology has made the work easier, it’s not cost effective in most cases. The major companies are responsible for maintaining the infrastructure and ensuring that all of the proper licensing is in place. They also keep workers employed and paid by assuring that work is performed under satisfactory and safe conditions.
The companies that operate oilfield services firms also perform a variety of other tasks, such as production testing and analysis, crust formation analysis, reservoir and earth studies, wells development and construction, as well as production planning, operations, maintenance and repair. Operators are responsible for completing the job and ensuring that all required permits and licenses are in order. All material and supplies that are required for each job must be transported and brought to the well site. There are also specialized trucks used for transporting drilling fluids, equipment and supplies.
Major oilfield services companies are responsible for providing the necessary personnel to oversee operations, train and monitor employees, manage resources and oversee operations in the field. There are also companies that rent oil equipment, such as bulldozers, drilling equipment and skid steers. These companies usually lease or rent truck chassis, generators, cranes, well drilling and well pumping equipment. They may also provide rental truck bodies or roll-up bodies for drilling purposes.
Oilfield equipment rentals have become an integral part of the oilfield services industry, since a number of horizontal drilling machines or wells are now in use. Many new wells are being set up around the world each year. Shorrills and borers are usually required for deeper wells, but they cannot be set up on-site because of the hazard of loose rock and soil. Hydraulic systems are used frequently in fracking operations. Fracking is also becoming more frequent due to the high cost of labor, materials and equipment used during and after the drilling process. Oilfield service companies are responsible for providing the manpower and equipment required for any well drilling project.
In the United States, oilfield services companies are responsible for a huge volume of drilling activity that involves hydraulic fracturing, as well as a large amount of water usage. Fracking involves injecting high-pressure water into the ground at a high pressure to open fissures, allowing natural gas and oil to escape. The high volume of water used is a byproduct of the natural gas and oil extracted from the ground, but they are necessary to keep the site stable. Any disruption of this delicate process can cause many problems and one of them can be the contamination of underground water supplies. This can be very detrimental to farming and other industries.
One way to reduce this contamination is to use shoring and back-up services. There are oilfield services companies that are constantly monitoring the sites of drilling operations, ensuring no contamination occurs. To ensure safety, most oilfield services companies will have a day rate of 40 dollars per hour for any job on active rig count or above. Some rigs may require more than one service to keep it operational, so it is always good to know which rig is hiring personnel for your project. Oilfield services are responsible for keeping rigs fully operational in order to extract all of the oil and gas that the Earth has to offer.