Page 297 - Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language

288 Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language Second Edition

Roughnecks. Work on the drill floor as directed by the driller, AD,

or derrickman.
Crane drivers. In charge of a crew of roustabouts working on the rig
decks. Apart from operating the cranes, handles other tasks around the rig

(off the drill floor) as directed by the driller or toolpusher. Work 12-hour
shifts to provide 24-hour cover.
Roustabouts. Wellsite laborers, working for the crane driver (or
sometimes for a roustabout foreman). Normally people who work for a
drilling contractor start their life at the wellsite as a roustabout.

Contract Types

There are now many different types of rig contracts. Innovative
contracts have been created that attempt to maximize the operator’s return
on investment by aligning the needs of the operator and contractors.
Two of the earliest types of contract were footage and turnkey. These
two types of contracts give the contractor a pretty free hand in how the
well is drilled with little or no involvement by the operator.
In a footage contract, the drilling contractor is paid per foot of hole
drilled and cased. The incentive to the contractor is to drill as fast as
possible without any regard for the “quality” of the hole. Also there is a
very strong incentive to take short cuts that expose people to safety risks,
as well as potentially endangering the rig and the environment. Everything
takes second place to drilling as fast as possible.

A turnkey contract pays the contractor for completing the well and
handing it over, ready to “turn it on,” as suggested by its name. As with a
footage contract, the incentive on the contractor is to drill and complete the
well as fast as possible.
In the pure versions of these two contract models, serious damage
to the reservoir is likely (or more accurately, inevitable). The return on
investment for the operator is low because the productivity of the well is
low, due to the damage to the reservoir.
For many years the most common contract model has been a dayrate
contract. It is still commonly used. With a dayrate contract, the drilling
contractor is paid a daily rate for the rig, and the contractor has little or no

_Devereux_Book.indb 288 1/16/12 2:12 PM