Last time I came home for some time off, I got a strong sense of the differences in climate between North Dakota and Georgia. In North Dakota, they have four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction. On the 31st of January, the wind chill was minus 51. That’s colder than an ex-wife. ... I’ve been in Siberia and never seen it that cold.
Once the site is prepared and the rig is on location, it gets interesting. While the rig is rigging up, additional supplies such as fuel, mud, chemicals, water, bits, mud motors and sometimes housing must be brought in. Also, additional service companies must be coordinated to arrive when needed. Mud engineers, mud loggers, cementers and directional drillers are part of most modern wells.
Drilling an oil well is a complex process that requires several steps beyond just rigging up a rig and turning to the right. I’ll try to outline what it takes, in broad terms, to go from a gleam in someone’s eye to a check in the bank.
"Well, it finally happened. Since I have been in the Bakken, I have had an unblemished record of putting the fish on the bank successfully – until last week."
"The new technology that allows us to drill in formerly impossible places and produce wells in formerly unprofitable formations make this a very exciting time to be in the 'patch.'"
"With everything slowing down in the housing industry,
and a lot of house-well drillers very short on work, a lot of people (myself
included) have had to turn to alternatives to keep busy and make a living."
