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 and represents IDM’s Polar Developer Class of cold-climate drilling systems. It incorporates IDM’s QuickSkid pad drilling technology. The system allows the rig to skid on a rail track in single- or bi-directional planes.
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Fig. 1. The PaDSRig (Production and Drilling System Rig) is designed for drilling multiple well bores from a single pad location, skidding along rails.
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The rig has a drilling depth capacity of 18,000 ft. The drilling structure can skid up to 140 ft in one direction and 10 ft in another direction from the initial well location for simultaneous drilling and production operations, while eliminating multiple rig moves. AC electrical technology enhances drilling control and improves fuel efficiency. It features a 28-ft high drilling floor, 375-ton block and 375-ton hook load rating, and is operable down to -4°F (-20°C).
The rig offers an advanced, rig control center. All instrumentation is within arm’s reach, including the AutoDriller touch screen and the driller console monitoring system. All data monitoring is integrated with equipment control through Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) technology. PLC technology promotes improved motor efficiency, fewer emissions, enhanced power distribution and less electrical noise. Finally, greater control of torque and rate of penetration results in faster and better holes.
Rig 109 commenced operations in the second quarter of 2008 and has a three-year term contract with Plains Exploration and Production Co. working in the Rocky Mountain region of the US. IDM plans to deliver an identical pad drilling rig, Rig 110, to Grey Wolf by year end. Rig 110 has been contracted to Ultra Oil & Gas and will also operate in the Rocky Mountain region.
For more information contact Melissa Ronquillo with IDM Group at Tel: 281-447-9000, Email: m.ronquillo@idmequipment.com or Tony Barrows with Grey Wolf, Inc. at Tel: 713-435-6100, Email: tbarrows@gwdrilling.com. 
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