Page 303 - Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language

294 Drilling Technology in Nontechnical Language Second Edition

The daily drilling report, either in full or an abbreviated version, is
usually distributed to other departments, or other companies who are
partners in the well, so as to keep them informed of progress and problems.

Interfacing with Service Companies

Unless an integrated service provider is used to provide all of the various
third-party services, the DSupt has to manage and coordinate the activities
of up to 30 companies that may be involved in drilling a well. Much of the
DSupt’s time will be taken up with these management activities.

Of particular importance are the vendors providing drilling fluid and
cement for the well. If the same company is not providing both services.
the DSupt has to ensure that there are no incompatibility problems between
mud and cement.
The service company representatives (salesmen) do provide a valuable
service to the DSupt. It is impossible for one person to keep up-to-date
on all new developments in all service areas. By allowing time to meet
with the representatives, the DSupt can become aware of new tools,
techniques, or services that may help to improve drilling performance.
Often with new developments, the DSupt can negotiate quite a good deal
as new developments need plenty of field applications before they become

generally accepted. A DSupt who is willing to try new things will overall
return better performance than those who do not, as long as two simple
criteria are met:

1. The new development has a reasonable chance of working, after a

careful evaluation of the potential benefits and drawbacks.
2. The cost of the development not working is not too high.

For instance, perhaps a drillbit manufacturer comes up with a new
drillbit design. A deal can be made that guarantees the performance of
the bit. The payment to the bit vendor is related to the bit performance.
The bit vendor will want to ensure that the bit is likely to succeed, not
only because of the payment for the bit, but also because any failures in
the field will make it harder to sell the bit to other companies. These deals

can be quite attractive for both parties, and if the new bit works better than
the anticipated performance of the bit it is replacing, the drilling costs
are reduced.

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