WorldOil

Fit-for-purpose, pad drilling rig design

For several years, US contractors have been working in partnership with oil and gas operators and rig designers to develop fit-for-purpose modern technology land rigs in an effort to streamline the entire drilling process. Grey Wolf, Inc. has introduced a new fit-for-purpose drilling system, PaDSRig (Production and Drilling System), which is specifically designed for drilling multiple wellbores from a single pad location. Pad drilling has emerged as a way to minimize environmental impact because it allows multiple-well access to larger areas and targets beneath sensitive surface environments. Now companies can tap underground producing reservoirs with a much smaller “footprint” on the surface. Combined with horizontal and directional drilling techniques, multiple-well pad drilling has been used to reduce initial habitat disturbance by as much as two-thirds or more. Grey Wolf’s PaDSRig No. 109 debuted on April 25 of this year. The rig was engineered and manufactured in Houston by IDM Group.