Speed and Satisfaction

Wow! It's been a busy few days. They have been drilling so fast out here I've barely been able to keep up. They Rate of Penetration (ROP as we call it) has been upwards of 120 feet per hour, when I was previously (both in Wyoming and on the shelf) never faster than 20 feet per hour. Back in Arkansas they smoked through the holes at 300 feet per hour, but I didn't quite have the responsibilities I do here.

While we were drilling I was constantly alert and on edge for my shift. With each new piece of pipe in the hole, the rig would pump a "sweep" which consists of a few dozen gallons of mud that are heavier than the standard mud. This caused my tools signal problems, which in turn caused us to lose about 10 feet of data every 100 feet. These gaps, while tolerated by the client (they should tolerate them after all, they wanted the sweeps so it is THEIR fault!!!) are anathema to me and ALL I have been taught as an MWD Engineer. We have been indoctrinated in the belief that gaps in data are bad. VERY VERY BAD.

So I was ever monitoring the signal, changing parameters on our computers in vain hopes that I might not lose so much data each time a sweep came around. I also would monitor our sensor readings. I was constantly on the lookout that no one had knocked off a pump-stroke counter, that the hookload sensor measuring the weight of the drillstring was still within calibration, and that the depth of the hole was being tracked accurately. Then I would submit the survey data to the directional driller, the static density values to the mudloggers, enter the sonic tool's readings into their little spreadsheet, and keep a constant log of what was happening at all times. The total time spent drilling was actually only 20 hours, but even though it was spaced over the course of a few days I am glad it's over with.

So our tools are out of the hole. I have dumped their memory, processed their data and uploaded the logs to the client's servers. I unloaded two sets of batteries in the blazing sun, and now have what feels like a slight case of heat exhaustion. Luckily I am done. There is no more work to do until tomorrow afternoon, when the next set of tools arrives on the boat. I'm tired, and I'm going to eat some dinner, submit my morning report once the clock ticks past midnight, and go to bed early because I've earned it today. It's a job well done.

Until tomorrow when it starts all over again.