Red Fork Production, LLC
As a company, Red Fork Production is in the business of Resource Balancing. We are deeply affected by the balance of nature, both above ground and below. We work very closely with our land and our mineral owners, and are very careful to create a positive impact in our operations. We exercise more care and prudence than is expected of us by the various regulatory agencies, not because we are forced, but because we believe. We initiate, develop and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with our surface and mineral resource partners. We are cognizant of their concerns, and we initiate many permanent improvements to their domain. In addition, all phases of our operations are geared toward protecting the Asset, and we exercise every practice to conserve and maximize reservoir drainage to achieve the greatest recovery of our planet’s scarce hydrocarbon reserves.
Preparation
Preparing to Drill
Once the legal issues have been settled, the crew goes about preparing the land:
- The land is cleared and leveled, and access roads may be built.
- Because water is used in drilling, there must be a source of water nearby. If there is no natural source, they drill a water well.
- They dig a reserve pit, which is used to dispose of rock cuttings and drilling mud during the drilling process, and line it with plastic to protect the environment. If the site is an ecologically sensitive area, such as a marsh or wilderness, then the cuttings and mud must be disposed offsite -- trucked away instead of placed in a pit.
Once the land has been prepared, several holes must be dug to make way for the rig and the main hole. A rectangular pit, called a cellar, is dug around the location of the actual drilling hole. The cellar provides a work space around the hole, for the workers and drilling accessories. The crew then begins drilling the main hole, often with a small drill truck rather than the main rig. The first part of the hole is larger and shallower than the main portion, and is lined with a large-diameter conductor pipe
Additional holes are dug off to the side to temporarily store equipment -- when these holes are finished, the rig equipment can be brought in and set up.
Depending upon the remoteness of the drill site and its access, equipment may be transported to the site by truck, helicopter or barge. Some rigs are built on ships or barges for work on inland water where there is no foundation to support a rig (as in marshes or lakes).
In the next section, we'll look at the major systems of an oil rig.