Drilling is one of those jobs where a man has to work his way up. Even if a man has a university or polytechnic education, most oil companies will want him to get rig experience by working on the floor with the rotary crew for a certain period. A boll weevil, even if he is well-educated, can be a highly dangerous person around the rotary table. He may be a danger to himself (by breaking a leg in the mousehole, for example), and may be a hazard to the other members of the crew. What might happen, for instance, if he opened the wrong valve or misunderstood an urgent instruction?

On some rigs, the first step up the ladder is the job of roustabout. A roustabout does semi_skilled labour such as scraping rust, hosing down, painting, carrying cans of dope, unloading materials and supplies, etc. Having worked for a time as a roustabout, a man might be ready for the job of roughneck. Among a roughneck’s duties are such things as operating the cathead, handling the slips and tongs, standing pipe back in the derrick, assisting in mixing the slush, and so on. Like a roustabout, a roughneck may have to be told what to do. In general, though, roughnecks know their job well enough to get on with it for the minimum number of spoken instructions. It's noisy around the kelly bushing, and events frequently take place too fast for verbal orders to be given. Much of the time, roughnecks are expected to know automatically what must be done.

Next, between the positions of roughneck and driller, is the job of derrickman. The derrickman works from about 60 ft. to 90 ft. above the rig floor, near the top of the derrick, where he attaches or detaches the elevators when pipe or casing is run into or pulled out of the hole. The height at which he works depends on the length of the sections of pipe, casing or tubing that have to be handled. These may be in doubles, thribbles, or fourbles. The derrickman also cleans, oils, greases, inspects and repairs the pulley blocks and cables which are used to raise and lower sections of pipe and casing. When he isn’t busy on his platform up in the derrick, the derrickman usually has special responsibility for the slush pumps and tanks. Rigs operate around the clock. The period from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the daylight tour, 4 p.m. to 12 midnight is the afternoon tour, and 12 midnight to 8 a.m. is referred to as «graveyard tour». Offshore crews usually work twelve hour tours.
Answer the following questions.

1. Which is closer the RKB, the rathole or the mousehole? Wi v?

2. A must have excellent balance. Why? The platform to a he

uses is called «monkeyboardu, For what reason?

3. Why m ght it be hazardous to the crew to have green worker on the

rig floor?

4 Define a thribble.
5How are the longs suspended at working height?

6. Would you like to as a roustabout? Give the reasons for your

answer

7. What is the resoonsible for? Who is he responsible to? Who is the responsive to? What is the drilling superintendent

ble for?

8. I you know you had the instruction, what could you do? If you know that you had misur an what might you do?

9. Why must do be viscous?

10. u. the first step up the ladder." ladder?​

SofiaLimon    3   22.03.2020 23:55    20