What Are the Major Types of Drilling and Why?

  A time when ‘bootleg’ jeans were fashionable: As a young man and recent graduate, I recall being awed and impressed in equal measure by my older, grey haired colleagues who had seemingly been everywhere whilst simultaneously doing everything, all at once. I remember vividly a conversation in which an older contract drilling engineer, who was working for one our clients, telling me that he planned to continue working until he was 70 years old. To a 23-year-old me, it seemed like madness. What made it even stranger was that he’d reached the heady heights of Drilling Manager in a large organisation which, in my mind at the time, was the pinnacle of a drilling career and then he decided he’d had enough, going back to the relative serenity and simplicity of a jobbing SDE.  From my then very junior Drilling Engineer position, this seemed completely inexplicable. In the 20 years since then, I’ve often wondered if he did retire at 70, spending a few more years passing on his appro...

  Beginning: For many unaccustomed to the technicalities of engineering in all its domains, the idea of a fluid drilling engineer may seem rather unique. And it may cause many to wonder what really fluids engineers do. And that is what this article tries to clarify about the importance, value, and tasks of a fluid drilling engineer. What is a Fluid Drilling Engineer? A drilling fluids engineer or a mud engineer works on an oil well or gas well drilling rig. He or she may be tasked with ensuring the properties of the drilling fluid or drilling mud are within the designed specifications. Mud is essential in oil well drilling operations for a number of reasons. First, it lubricates the drill bits, helps carry the drill cuttings to the surface avoiding contamination with the well, prevents uncontrolled production of reservoir fluids, and control the wellbore stability during the drilling process; among many other positive influences in oil well drilling operations. Major Tasks an...