Insurance Claim

I am currently working for a small outfit right now, but had an offer to go work for Baker Hughes.

 I was wondering how the MWD department is to work for, how is their software?

Are they wireless from doghouse to shacks or do they still rub cables? 

As well I was wondering if anyone has any input on how long I should do MWD before moving up to become a Directional Driller, because I do have actual rig floor experience.

 If anyone has a pirated version of Winserv and could send it to me that would be great as I can start planning wells when I have nothing to do.

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Several years ago we had a post topic

"Things You Won't Hear On A Drilling Rig"

I have re-posted a few of the answers here and hope  you guys visiting will add a few of your own-Enjoy!

Things You Won't Hear On A Drilling Rig

"No Thanks, we're all on a diet."

"Why don't you guys knock off early and I'll pay ya for 12."

"That's what the instructions said..."

"Hey, you're right, that really is a good idea, we should try doing it that way!"

"Let's go another circulation so we can get the mud in shape."

"I'm sorry you don't like the way I run this crew."

"The other crew did a good job."

"This motor is good for 100 hours....."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"Oh, you stayed up drinking last night,well why don't you go take a nap while we get this bit back on bottom."

"I was wondering if I could come in on my days off and help with rig move?"

Please feel free to add yours below!

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President Obama stated today:
"The tax cuts I'm proposing we get rid of are tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, tax breaks for oil companies and hedge fund companies and jet owners,"
(at least he didn't say "oil subsidies" today, as he has repeatedly referred to said tax breaks in the past)

What is being continuously ignored is the fact that the majority of these tax breaks are afforded to the individual investors whom, in aggregate, provide the vast majority of capital for domestic drilling. When I say "investors" , I am not referring to wealthy individuals, day traders that invest for a living, or huge hedge funds,  I am talking about working class people, blue-collar workers, single parents, retired people, almost anyone with a 401k or other retirement vehicle.

Drilling new wells , even in proven areas, is risky business, there are no "sure things" and the risk capital expended to drill with typically comes, in aggregate,  from individual  investors , even when it is a major oil company doing the drilling.

Oil is a volatile commodity and oil which costs $60. per bbl to produce that is selling for $80. per bbl today might well be selling for $40. per bbl tomorrow, it is unpredictable and government intervention does not help to stabilize the marketplace. Investors are allowed a tax deduction for the portion of their total investment that is considered to be IDCs (intangible drilling costs) , these are the unrecoverable expenses associated with drilling a new well (rig time,cement, fuel, drilling mud, etc. items paid for which cannot be recovered, salvaged and/or resold-reused ) .

 According to 612 of IRS code, Intangible Drilling Cost (IDCs) may be deducted in the year paid, rather than capitalized and depreciated. This is the same federal tax treatment extended to the "risk capital" portion of any other domestic business investment and without an IDC deduction allowed, there would be no incentive for people to invest in something as inherently risky , yet necessary, as domestic oil & gas drilling.

For the federal government to single out investors in any particular industry (such as oil & gas) simply because the Obama administration admittedly "does not like them" or they are presently "making too much profit" is flat-out wrong, it is no different from stating certain people must pay more tax because of their skin color or religion.

It is easy in times of high oil prices for the administration to attack the industry so as to evoke class warfare and make people believe they are looking out for the citizens, when, in fact, it is primarily the citizens they are going after.

 The bottom line is that if investment capital for domestic drilling is harder to come by, it translates to less market stability, decreased national security, and higher fuel prices for us all.  If President Obama were being completely honest and forthright with us today , instead of proposing that we "get rid of tax breaks for oil companies" , he would have said

"Today, I have um-uh called on uh congress erh-uh to pass a law preventing U.S. um citizens from investing in domestic energy and-um, uh furthermore,  I have directed my um staff to begin collecting $1.00 per uh gallon of um-er-uh additional federal fuel taxes."
Decisions are presently being made that will have long-standing consequences for all of us. We had better wake up and hold our government and our media accountable for their actions and the propaganda that is being used to make those actions seem more palatable to us all.

God help us if we have to put up with Obama another 4 years!

He hates the oil & gas industry and all it stands for. We are headed straight to hell if he stays in office.

 All of us that own intrest or work in the oilfield industry have got to stick togather while this moron is in office.

 We need an organization like theNRA that protects our right to bear arms. If we let Obama disarm us the trip into hell will happen overnight.

 I guess he thinks oil comes out of a can,If Obama is talking he is telling another lie. We need to set the slips on him and jet his sorry b***!

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Appendix Z .

Hydraulic analyses of BOP control system (from ultra Deep) ,one of scenarios that have been investigated is operating the EDS/Auto shear system “, the investigation found strong indications on that the EDS/Auto shear system haven’t worked as intended. There have been signs of leakage in the St-lock line and the question is raised how large leakage can the system have and still cut the drill pipe. Scenario 5 :failure in the EDS(Auto shear )system .This scenario has been stimulated to identify possible failures that can prevent the BSR from cutting pipes and you can see from figures the leakage causes a continuously loss of hydraulic fluids as soon as “ the Auto shear “ function is activated.

On the other hand, there are two other issues which are not less impotent as I read in other reports(Chief Counsel‘s report)  - first one , Federal regulations required the Deepwater Horizon to have a BOP that included a blind shear ram (BSR). The blind shear ram is designed to cut drill pipe in the well and shut in the well in an emergency well control situation. But even if properly activated, the blind shear ram may fail to seal the well because of known mechanical and design limitations. In order for a blind shear ram to shut in a well where drill pipe is across the BOP, it must be capable of shearing the drill pipe. And blind shear rams are not always able to perform this critical function, even in controlled situation .Blind shear rams are not designed to cut through multiple pieces of drill pipe or tool jointsconnecting two sections of drill pipe. It is thus critically important to ensure that there is a piece of pipe, and not a joint, across the blind shear ram before it is activated. This fact prompted a 2001 MMS study to recommend every BOP to have two sets of blind shear rams such that if a tool joint prevented one ram from closing, another adjacent ram would close on drill pipe and would be able to shear the pipe and shut in the well. MMS never adopted the recommendation.

The Horizon‘s blowout preventer had only one blind shear ram. Sections of drill pipe are joined by a tool joint at each interval and are often about 30 feet in length, though some of the drill pipe used on the Horizonvaried in length. If one of those joints was in the path of the blind shear ram at the time of attempted activation, as portrayed in The figure shown that the ram would have been unable to shear the pipe and shut in the well.

The second issue  is BOP Recertification,

Recertificationof a blowout preventer involves complete disassembly and inspection of the

equipment.

It was well known by the rig crew and BP shore-based leadership that the Deepwater Horizon

blowout preventer was not in compliance with certification requirements. BP‘s September

2009 audit of the rig found that the test ram, upper pipe ram, and middle pipe ram bonnets

were original and had not been recertified within the past five years. According to an April

2010 assessment, BOP bodies and bonnets were last certified December 13, 2000, almost

10 years earlier.

Failure to recertify the BOP stack and diverter components within three to five years may have violated the MMS inspection requirements

Transocean did not recertify the BOP because it instead applied ?condition-based

Maintenance. According to Transocean‘s Subsea Maintenance Philosophy, ?the condition of

the equipment shall define the necessary repair work, if any. Condition-based maintenance

does not include disassembling and inspecting the BOP on three- to five-year intervals, a

process Transocean subsea superintendent William String fellow described as unnecessary.

According to String fellow, the rig crew instead tracks the condition of the BOP in the Rig

Management System and ?if we feelthat the equipment is—is beginning to wear, then we

make…the changes that are needed. Transocean uses condition-based monitoring to inspect

all of its BOP stacks in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Transocean witnesses, its system of

condition-based monitoring is superior to the manufacturer‘s recommended procedures and can

result in identifying problems earlier than would occur under time-based intervals. The Chief Counsel‘s team disagrees. Condition-based maintenance was misguided insofar as it

second- guessed manufacturer recommendations, API recommendations, and MMS regulation.

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Nabors Rig 9 Catches Fire.

The Oil and Gas Commission was notified of a rig fire at approximately 11pm Friday night.  The rig is located approximately 20km north of Hudson’s Hope.  We understand no one was injured in the fire and at this time there is no risk to the public.

Road blocks and air monitoring equipment have been set up in the area and OGC inspectors are on site.  The rig was drilling a sweet gas well when the fire started.  As of 3pm Saturday, the rig was still burning.

Glad to here no-one was hurt. People don't understand how dangerous our jobs are.

It could be any of us, any day... Make peace with your maker and be ready, brothers.

Yes it could have been and thankful no one was injuried. The formation they were drilling in is known for very high pressures. It is a sweet well so no danger of H2S gas. As of a right now the rig is still burning.

Thank you so much, for this information.

Do you have some pictures for this rig?

Kind regards

Glad to hear no one was hurt. These kids and I call them kid lightly, they are all men, they have just got to start watching with there eyes, ears, nose and feel alot more. A well does not kick you with out telling you first. they have got to quit depending on the high tech equipment for every thing it will lie to you. Your own senses will not. God Bless all in the Oil patch lets keep it safe. 

Glad to hear all in the drilling site are in safety

Nabors 9, drilling for Suncor

Very glad to hear that nobody was hurt! Here's to hoping that nobody gets hurt while working the emergency.

Thanks Toni-I added the video of the derrick falling over to your blog.

Curtis (Admin)

View the original article here

What it's Like To Be Oilfield Trash
Everyday the headlines read something about the hardships hard-working American men  are causing on cities and towns where drilling is occurring.

In Pennsylvania a Congressmen accuses oilfield workers of spreading sexually transmitted disease among his "womenfolks" as he calls them. The issue to him was never

"What were the womenfolks of his community doing dropping their panties for these oilfield workers" or "maybe it was the locals who actually harbored the disease and spread it to the workers to begin with"?

To these locals of Pennsylvania it's ok if you are a Penn State football coach who knew your staff was a child molester for over the last 9 years and not report it to the authorities-Hey the locals support this so much they take to the streets and overturn news vans and break windows, destroying the property of others so they can show their support for the staff that seemed to condone child molesting.

These are the same people calling us "Oilfield Trash"-If the term distinguishes me from them then I wear the moniker proudly.

The issue is the same in Williston North Dakota
City Councils there have started banning new "Man Camp" permits-meaning that the camps provided by the companies to house and feed their workers will no longer receive permitting. The reason the councils quote for this is because they cannot handle the influx of people-it's just to much of a burden on their resources. The excuse is just another lie the locals use to disguise the real truth.

Obviously a "Man Camp" by definition is designed to remove much of the burden off cities and stopping them would actually increase the burden on cities as the workers would need to find private housing. Maybe you have already guessed it-the city does not make money off the men staying in "Man Camps" so they want the Man Camps gone. The camps mean lost revenue for those on the council that own rental housing. Man Camps mean lost revenue for those that own the RV Parks. Man Camps also feed the workers this means lost revenue for the food and dining sector.

In North Dakota communities could care less about oilfield workers-in their greed all they want is the money and to hell with the living conditions and the individuals. In Williston you are nothing more than "Oilfield Trash"... nevermind that you are an honest hard-working American man far from home trying your best to provide a living for your family.

To these bigots of North Dakota you are trash.

Still have your doubts?

If they had their way in Williston, North Dakota your kids would not be allowed to ride the school bus with local kids-Oilfield Trash would have separate bathrooms and drinking fountains...you get the idea I'm sure.

If you still have your doubts that the prejudice exists in Williston-

This incident happened last night in a restaurant at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club of Williston as reported to me by a friend

My boss, was jumped in a restaurant last night in Williston, North Dakota...

Here's what happened..

He and his wife went to the little local country club... They were expecting other guests.. As such, they moved two tables together. The waiter came over and jumped all over him for it.

Ended up in an argument about it, but eventually, He just let it go. About 10 minutes later, a large group comes in.. They move tables together, and none of the staff said anything to them. So He calls the waiter over.. The waiter jumps all over his a**, calling him "white oilfield trash", and proceeds to start yelling at his wife.. Words got exchanged, to say the least.. He finally says screw it, and he and his wife turn to leave.. At which point, the waiter jumps him from behind, knocking him out....

It was made VERY clear that "trash" was not welcome on the property.

To those of you who take offense to not only being treated like trash but to those that also have a dislike for cowardly back jumping waiters you should stop by this club in Williston have a couple of shots of whiskey then share your concerns with the staff.

Contact details;

"Missouri Club" 

Located at

Eagle Ridge Golf Club
6401 3rd Ave E
PO Box 4125
Williston, ND 58801

As for me, if being "Oilfield Trash" means I am an honest hard-working man that provides for my family with back-breaking labor and the handful of skills the good lord provided me with then I accept the tag with pride.

View the original article here

Oil and Gas drilling has seen its ups and downs through the years. The phrase "Boom or Bust"must originate with the drilling industry,  because things are either always balls to the wall going fast or so slow that workers are having to sell everything they have acquired just to survive.

Roughnecks have always been a resilient people willing to give a hard days work for a good days pay. Tough oilfield work has always attracted men from all walks of life. College educated professionals as well as felons and ex cons all working together on rig floors to get the job done.

Fat paychecks in their pockets and 2 weeks off each month, Roughneck's that work hard often play hard too. You can find single young men with pockets full of cash from drilling operations in boom-town bars spending their hard-earned money faster than they can make a set of tongs bite, always thinking the supply of cash for hard work will never end! The first Boom/Bust downturn always surprises these young men who have lived week to week thinking the fountain of cash would never stop flowing.

Other Roughnecks choose to make long-term investments in expensive homes and Harley's, even boats, expensive pick up trucks and four wheelers thinking that their long-term financial commitments can be met on the drilling rig year after year. These hands are just as shocked when the bottom falls out and banks are knocking on their door. Most  items are sold or repossessed while trying to hold onto the home with a meager income received temporarily from oilfield unemployment checks.

Some Roughnecks get so discouraged that they never return to oilfield work. Others quickly learn to live within their means, saving during the good times so that they can survive lean times.  Oilfield veteran's always know there will be another "Bust". Experienced hands work hard during the good times, always being dependable and making a name for themselves on  drilling rigs so that when  times get lean their efforts are remembered and they are  last in a long line of layoffs.

Experienced Roughnecks know that someday again Toolpushers will be Drillers and Drillers will again be pulling slips just to keep roughnecking dollars coming in. The "Boom/Bust" oilfield cycle continues.

Communities are also impacted by booms in our drilling industry. Some locals welcome the influx of workers and their large disposable incomes as it means increased profits for their business. Housing becomes scarce. Monthly rental rates rise to unheard of the extremes with often just a basic bed & plumbing costing outrageous rates. These locals  seek to capitalize off the basic needs of oilfield workers often raising local rates on most everything in the community so local non-oilfield employed people find the basic necessities no longer affordable. These "left out" locals often become bitter with hatred, blaming the oilfield worker for all that is no longer affordable to them.The blame is seldom placed on the price gouging greed of the locals. Identifying these workers as"Oilfield Trash", the name is branded to all oil workers who enter the community. The bigger the boom the greater the hate.

Communities also suffer in other ways. Long standing local "pecking orders" of wealth are turned upside down. Families noted in the area for decades because of their wealth and stature having maybe a million dollars to their net worth are often tossed from their roost by dirt poor farmers that have struggled their entire life just to keep their family farms. Many of these common farmers lease their acreage to producers for amounts that make them millionaires overnight with additional royalty checks pouring in on regular basis that dwarf the local aristocrats wealth. Families previously at the top of the "local pecking order" also feel resentful and soon even the farmers that leased their mineral rights are branded  as "Oilfield Trash". 

The Boom and Bust cycle has been repeated over and over with everyone associated with oil and gas riding high during the good economic times-but there are busts and they always come. Busts are always associated with nationwide economics and recessions.  Any down trend in the economy always signals less use of oil and gas, market prices soon reflect this. As the price of a barrel of oil plummets, drilling comes to a screeching halt, catching most new to oil and gas drilling off-guard. Just like the Roughneck that made long-term investments in extravagant items-many businesses find out they went to far into long-term debt or expanded their business to quickly. Soon many businesses find out they cannot meet their monthly expenses as account receivables dry up and many of their customer's become "Slow Pay" or "No Pay". Banks take possession of buildings and equipment and liquidate for a fraction of  property worth, strapping the  former owner with liens and judgements for life. Busy oilfield industrial parks that sprang up over night now set vacant and overgrown in weeds.

Other supporting businesses like food and lodging also suffer. Hotels and Motels unable to rent  the rooms required to meet debt obligations are lost to debtors. Once expensive franchise businesses drop the name and become "Mom & Pop independents overnight or close completely. Restaurants and nightclubs once filled with patrons spending the endless supply of oilfield money dry up overnight.

 Lines at the local unemployment office grow with many arriving in the predawn hours to get a place in line to file for benefits that will keep them afloat a little longer. 

The weak are weeded out and in time the survivors make it back on top, only now a little wiser with less appetite for the short-term happiness that blowing a pocket full of cash each week brings.

I am thankful this holiday season for the current oil & gas drilling boom, for the oil industry that allows me to provide for my family & for the friends, members and customers that continue to support us. I thank each of you.

Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving & Holiday Season!

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You can learn more detail about it via this topic -> Cutting Slip Velocity

This calculation will show annular velocity, cutting slip velocity and net velocity so you can use as a reference for you hole cleaning indication. There are 2 calculation methods and I will show the first method via this topic.

1. Determine annular velocity with following equation:

Where;

AV is annular velocity in ft/min.

Q is flow rate in gpm (gallon per minute).

Dh is diameter of hole in inch.

Dp is diameter of drill pipe in inch.

2. Determine cutting slip velocity with following equation:

Where; Vs is cutting slip velocity in ft/min.

PV is plastic viscosity in centi-poise.

MW is mud weight in ppg.

Dp is diameter of cutting in inch.

DenP is cutting density in ppg.

3. Determine net rise velocity with following equation:

Net rise velocity = AV – Vs

Where; AV is annular velocity in ft/min.

Vs Cutting Velocity in ft/min.

This figure indicates that cuttings are being lifted by mud or are still falling down. If net rise velocity is positive, it means that you have good flow rate which can carry cutting in the wellbore.
On the other hand,If net rise velocity is negative, your current flow rate is NOT engough to carry cuttings.

Example: Please use the following information to determine annular velocity, cutting slip velocity, net rise velocity, and tell us if the flow rate is good for hole cleaning.

Information

Flow rate = 300 gpm

Hole Diameter = 6.3 inch

Drillpipe OD = 4 inch

PV = 15 cps

MW = 10 ppg

Diameter of cutting = 0.20 inch

Density of cutting = 20.0 ppg

1. Determine annular velocity:

AV = 310.3 ft/min

2. Determine cutting slip velocity:

Vs = 35.4 ft/min

3. Determine net rise velocity with following equation:

Net rise velocity = AV – Vs Net rise velocity = 310.3 – 35.4 = 274.9 ft/min

Conclusion: This flow rate is GOOD for hole cleaning practice because annular velocity is more than cutting slip velocity.

If you are interested in the spread sheet from this topic, please download from this site, Drilling Formula Calculation Sheet.

Reference from: drilling formulas

View the original article here

I’ve got an email asking me about how to figure out the total bit revolution (RPM) at down hole when the mud motor is used in the drill string and rotating at surface is also conducted.

There are two components contributing in the total revolution of downhole drilling bit using mud motor.

1.The rotor RPM of drilling mud motor– each drilling mud motor has its specific performance data which will tell you how many revolutions per flow rate flowing through it.

For example (see the image below), it shows Rev/Gal which means the rotor will turn 0.147 turn/min per one gallon/min of drilling mud passing thought.

2. The rotary speed from top drive or rotary table.

The total drilling bit revolution downhole:

The total drilling bit revolution is equal to summation of the rotor RPM at specific flow rate and the rotary speed on surface.

Please follow the example below to determine the bit revolution down hole.

The performance data of mud motor -

Rev/Gal = 0.147

Flow rate = 320 gpm

Rotary speed = 220 rpm

The rotor rpm based on 320 gpm = 0.147 x 320 = 47 rpm

Total bit revolution down hole = 47 + 220 = 267revolution per minute (rpm)

Ref -

Total Bit Revolution When Running A Drilling Mud Motor and Rotating At Surface from drilling formulas blog

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• Shale fractures are seen at shale shakers.

• Possibly observe change in d-exponent, which means a sign of abnormal pressure, from mud logger.

• Pump pressure abnormally increases.

• Increase in rate of penetration (ROP).

• When compared to a normal trend, torque and drag trend abnormally increase.

• Background gas may increase.

Indications when you stuck due to geo-pressured shale

• It could be happened either while tripping or drilling.

• When it happens, the hole may be completely packed off; therefore, circulate is restricted or impossible in some cases.

What should you do for this situation?

1. Attempt to circulate with low pressure (300-400 psi). Do not use high pump pressure because the annulus will be packed harder and you will not be able to free the pipe anymore.

2. If you are drilling or POOH, apply maximum allowable torque and jar down with maximum trip load.

3. If you are tripping in hole, jar up with maximum trip load without applying any torque.

4. Attempt until pipe free and circulate to clean wellbore.

Preventive actions

1. Use proper mud weight to create over balance. You may need to weight up prior to drilling in to high pressure shale zones.

2. Minimize surge pressure and equivalent circulating density (ECD) in the wellbore.

Reference: Drilling formulas blog in the section of stuck pipe

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My generation grew up trusting in text books and encyclopedias, every home had a set of "Britannica" or "Funk & Wagnalls" in the bookshelf. We marveled at them as children, scanning through photos of far away places and trusting as factual the information they presented.

 Then along came the internet with its collective wealth of "information". For a population that has trusted information text books and encyclopedias throughout its history, it was only natural for many of us to believe information obtained on the internet as "factual". Our mindset has always been "it must be true or they could not write it"

Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure there is an infinite wealth of factual information now available to us all, but propagandist have taken advantage of the internet as a means of delivering their  agenda to the minds of millions, inciting anger & instilling fear as their most trusted tactic.

Again many of my generation believe "if it's in print then it must be true"

Hydrofracking is as an example of this in the petroleum industry today.  A misinformed and outright deceived general public is mounting on the bandwagon of 'anti fracking" at the moment. Lies and propaganda meant to instill fear and inflame the public runs rampant on the internet and in biased liberal newspaper columns and articles across the country. Petroleum industry haters & bashers capture the headlines around the internet everyday.Democrats, out of touch with reality seem to think "Fracking" was just invented in the last few years when in fact it has been done safely for over 60 years!

Our history, our heritage and our greatness as a nation was built with petroleum. All modern wars since World War I have been fought and won by petroleum. With petroleum we have protected the freedom of our nation. Our oil and gas reserves and the wildcatters that have discovered them are directly responsible for our greatness. Freedom to move about the country in automobiles in search of the American dream is powered by petroleum. Americas interstate highway system, started as a vision of President Eisenhower, enabled the movement of goods in our country on an unprecedented scale that has contributed to our manufacturing superpower status. No matter where you are right now, anything within your reach that was manufactured was made possible by petroleum.

Over the last century thousands upon thousands of oil and gas wells have been drilled in America to fuel our great nations prosperity. These wells have one thing in common

THEY ALL WERE FRACKED TO PRODUCE HYDROCARBONS.

That is a fact-there is no debate nor any chance that the statement is some sort of propaganda. Wells drilled in America have been fracked for over 60 years.

 Bloggers and liberal newspapers like The New York Times want you to believe that 'Hydrofracking" is something new that presents untold  dangers to all Americans, when nothing could be further from the truth.

Still my generation and others of Americans are on the bandwagon insisting that all "hydrofracking be stopped now." Liberal bloggers and newspapers want you to believe that no studies have ever been conducted to determine if fracking can be done safely when IN FACT many studies over the years have concluded that fracks performed with current safeguards are completely safe. the EPA conducted a study during the Bush-era that confirmed all results of countless previous studies which was

 HYDROFRACKING PRESENTS NO DANGER TO  GROUNDWATER SUPPLIES

In fact, with over 60 years of hydrofracking countless thousands of oil and gas wells in America there is not 1 single instance where fracking has been proven to contaminate ground water. Propagandists like The New York Times do their best to instill fear with unfounded claims but they cannot quote a single report in over 60 years that's shows hydrofracking has contaminated the groundwater through the wellbore.

Newspapers and bloggers search out individuals that have tap water in their homes that will ignite from the faucet in attempts to shore up their claims against fracking. Claims they know are unsupported and false. Other homeowners in the areas where this occurs explain that this condition existed long before drilling and fracking started in their areas-in fact it has existed since the first water well was drilled over 100 years ago!

 These areas contain shallow formations of coal that produce what is known as "Coal Bed Methane" (a form of natural gas) These coal beds are  fractured from naturally occurring geological processes. The coal bed methane has been migrating to the surface here for centuries, entering the groundwater as it nears the surface.

Still the anti fracking propaganda continues and an American public, ignorant to the facts, continue to mount the bandwagon in protest according to the master plan by alternative energy Democrats and other liberals that continue their attempts to incite anger against an industry that built America and powered the industrial revolution with our reserves of fossil fuels.

To remain free as a nation, to remain a world leader in manufacturing and to create prosperity for our children, Americans must see through the liberal propaganda and outright lies that the media so willingly spreads in support of the liberal agenda and embrace the spirit of petroleum exploration that made America the greatest nation on earth.

We who live in the Marcellus Shale region are very aware of the truth in what you say, Curtis.  It is furthered by other groups with agendas who don't care if the anti-drill arguments are based on fact.  As long as it furthers their agenda, they could care less and will assist in propagating the misinformation.  Add to that the local media who have found a new angle and will post every alleged incident to drive up their advertising dollars because negativity sells.

Case in point regarding the media: A couple months back a young hair stylist residing in Bradford County PA, Crystal Stroud, started spouting off that she was suffering medical problems because of living in close proximity to a natural gas well.  She alleged she was suffering from barium poisoning which was causing, among other things, her hair to fall out.  It was front page news for many of the local papers as well as regional groups and she was the "star" of many anti-drill demonstrations, including at least one at the state capitol.  Within the last couple of weeks, it was determined by the State's DEP that, first, her symptoms had occurred before they had even fraced the well, and second, barium had not been used in the drilling process on this particular well.  Of course the final determination of drilling nor fracing being the cause of her woes has been relegated to the back pages of those same newspapers if they seen fit to print it at all.

Of course, all this anti-drill (anti-American energy productivity, if you ask me) started with the young movie producer, Josh Fox.  Where his money came from for the first Gasland is suspect, but unproven.  Oh, yes, did you notice - first Gasland... HBO has apparently seen fit for him to film a second mocumentary by giving him $750,000.  I'm behind on getting my next blog out, but in the scheme of things, with NY's release of the newest SGEIS regulations and some other advocacy and information sharing activities, I haven't been able to fit it in just quite yet.  However, he is "hard at work" getting footage for his next film...  will try to fit in some writing this weekend.

But I diverge... How I wish Curtis wasn't so spot on with this blog.  The general public is just NOT getting the overall big picture.  Complacency and apathy are our enemy, folks.  If you think this isn't true, just do an Internet search on NY and "fracking".  Special interest groups have succeeded in keeping drilling at bay with a moratorium in that state for three years and are continuing to fight it every step of the way.  They have taken on not just the drilling and fracing though, they take on ANYTHING that has to do with NG production - pipelines, waste disposal, water withdrawals, drilling permits...

Sorry for going on and on about this, but NY's craziness has trickled over to PA, with communities attempting through various ways to ban drilling.  Their goal is to take it nationwide.  I believe the chances of this occurring are little to none, but I am also tired of all the suspicion regarding my husband's industry when, especially given the financial state of our nation, many ignorant people are trying to keep American from using their own resources and, quite possibly, keeping us from being a market player with a commodity we might have enough of to sell to other countries.

(Stepping of Soapbox now...) good day!

Here is a "Topix" post from Dave in Middleburh New York-Wonder why the New York times didn't interview this guy for thier story?

I have a 500' water well which has Naturally occurring natural gas in my water.
You can light the gas on fire from the faucets or in a jar after filling it. There are three things I would like to do, one is to vent off the gas to make the water safe to use in the house. Two, to use the vented gas from the well water, and three to suck out the gas from the well itself to use.

Now I'm a plumber by trade so I know much about how things work and have many ideas in my head but would like some real ideas that have worked before by others who have done this before to save me time experimenting what will work.

I know I can vent the gas with a steel tank that has a vent on the side that is used for the old type well tank that has a bleed back to maintain the level of air in the tank but not use it in that way but to vent out the gas. But how do I get the gas into another tank to use the gas? I need some ideas on this.
I also thought of buying a large 3000-5000 gal plastic tank and pumping up the water and let it settle off the gas and then somehow take off the gas from the top of the tank to use but not sure about that. Then I could use the water from the bottom of the tank with another pump. Now there is another well that is not being used that I thought I could pump the water from the deep well with gas in it in to the shallow well and get the gas out of that well from it rising up to the surface or by putting a vacuum on that well also and use the second shallow well for the water for the house.

Getting the gas out of the well; I don't think there is any presser coming out of the well, so I am going to try to use an old compressor to suck out the gas by putting a vacuum on the top of the well casing. I need some ideas on this and I also thought I may have to pump off the water so that the gas can get out. If I pump the water off how do I do this if the well goes dry and I have the pump running on all the time how do I put it on a cycle to not burn out the pump?

Should I drill the well deeper. Now the well was drilled to 500' and hit no water and then drilled a little bit more and hit water with the gas in it. Should I drill it deeper so that the water goes lower in the well so the gas will rise up out of the well?

I hope someone can give me some ideas on these matters and thank you for your help
Dave

Curtis and Behind_Timez,

We live less than 20 minutes from Dimock and my husband's rig did much drilling throughout the Springville-Dimock area, so I am well acquainted with not just the technical sides of the issues surrounding the area, but also have friends in that area.  One of my friends, Loren Salsman, resides in the "Consent Order" area and regularly shares his water results with me.  For more of Loren's take on it, see his Letter to the Editor: http://74.95.82.237:591/rconline/FMPro?-db=rconline.fp5&-format... (Wow is that a long link!).

In fact, it's one of my pet projects working with the residents of Dimock in getting the truth out from there.  As BTz stated, lessons were learned the hard way regarding the geology, which led to an extra string of casing being added.  Please know some of the residents, extremely unhappy with how their town was being portrayed in the media, have taken it on themselves to give tours of the local area to NYS and other officials.  Most of these people go away, shaking their heads and stating, "That was not what we have been led to expect".  Loren himself, shares his water quality testing reports (required on a regular basis), and the water is returning to the shape it was prior to the high methane content.

Another group, Enough Already, got its origins fighting the same water pipeline expansion mentioned in Loren's letter to the editor.  Their efforts successfully resulted in the pipeline project being taken off the table.  They continue to work with both O&G companies and state legislative bodies in the best interest of ALL involved.  That's a far cry from most of the "concerned citizens" groups who simply work against any drilling.

As I've said before, I've seen the darndest actions and heard the oddest statements from environmentalists over the years (I have 13 years of working in various ways with the industry or being in or "married" to the patch), but I some of the things I have heard out here would be damned laughable if they weren't being taken so seriously.

Actually Behind_Timez, your statement

"coal bed methane and natural gas, which are not the same thing at all"

is not accurate.   Methane is methane is methane (CH4), no matter where it is sourced.  It is the principal component of natural gas.  The difference between CBM and what we term natural gas is the primarily the source material and process.   The gas that lights our kitchen ranges, water heaters and CNG vehicles has some mixture of more complex hydrocarbons and indicator gas (mercaptan), but in its purest form is simply methane.

But I digress.   The whole point of Gasland is the same thing that Michael Moore does with his tripe, to stir up an emotional response with a lot of allegation and misinformation.   What little factual content that was presented in the movie is unrelated to the issues it proclaims to be representing.  If you really want to see a crowd of anti frack people get their knickers in a knot, ask the following two questions after the movie has completed and the Q/A period has started.

1) Why do they show drilling rigs when the hydraulic fracturing process occurs during the completion phase of the well?   Is it because they don't understand the different phases of well development, or is there another reason that they haven't communicated?

2) (This is a bit more technical, so it sometimes is lost on the particular audience).   How is it that well fractures that are occurring 1000's of feet below the surface (~10K out here in western ND, eastern MT) can reach aquifers that are only 100's of feet below the surface?    The blank looks on the faces and the results babble of half-baked explanations are the fodder of great fiction.   (If someone CAN explain to me how we can create fractures that reach that far, please contact me, I have a whole herd of engineers that want to talk to you).

The American public is not as dumb as the MSM would like to have us think, a lot of people have figured out that this is just FUD being spread by the same people who trumpeted the cause of the Spotted Owl against the timber industry on the west coast (BTW, a fine appetizer if prepared properly, but not nearly enough for a meal).  When people learned the truth about that weak species, this same crowd's credibility when down the crapper.   What needs happen now is the bully pulpit they have in the MSM needs to collapse and the TRUTH,  the bare naked TRUTH needs to be reported.

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(Mud weight is high enough to overcome overburden stress.)

(Mud weight is not high enough to overcome overburden stress.)

Warning signs of overburden stress shale

• Torque and drag increase.

• Pump pressure increase.

• Abnormal amount of shale at shale shakers

• Caving shape of shale at shakers

Indications when you stuck due to overburden stress shale

• It could be happened either while tripping or drilling (most likely while drilling).

• When it happens, the hole may be completely packed off or bridged off; therefore, circulation is very difficult or impossible to establish.

What should you do for this situation?

1. Attempt to circulate with low pressure (300-400 psi). Do not use high pump pressure because the annulus will be packed harder and you will not be able to free the pipe anymore.

2. If you are drilling or POOH, apply maximum allowable torque and jar down with maximum trip load.

3. If you are tripping in hole, jar up with maximum trip load without applying any torque.

4. Attempt until pipe free and circulate to clean wellbore.

Preventive actions:

2. Weight up mud prior to drilling into stressed shale zones.

Reference: Overburden Stress Shale Causes Stuck Pipe in Drilling Formulas blog

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Cement volume calculation is based on annular capacity multiplied by length of cement as per cement program.

This topic will demonstrate you how to determine cement volume as per specification and displace volume. After reading and understanding the concept, you will be able to apply to your cement job.

The knowledge required: annular capacityy and inner capacity of cylindical object

Well information:

Well is drilled with 8.5 inch bit to 9,015 MD/8,505 TVD with oil based mud (9.5 ppg). Estimated hole sized based on an open hole log is 8.6 inch.

Previous casing size is 9-5/8” and its shoe is at 6,500 MD/5000’TVD.

Plan to run 7” casing and planned shoe depth at 9,000’MD/8,500’TVD.

There is one float collar at 8960’MD/8470’ TVD.

Top of cement is 2000 ft above 9-5/8” casing.

Spacer volume is from top of cement to surface.

Casing information

7” casing ID = 6.185”

9-5/8” casing ID = 8.85”

Use hole size measured from the open hole log to determine cement volume.

The well schematic should look like this.

Determine the following items:

• Cement volume

• Spacer volume

• Displace volume

As per the cement program, the final schematic will look like this.

Determine cement volume

Total cement volume = cement in the annulus between open hole and 7” casing + cement in annulus between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing + cement in shoe track

There are three parts that you need to calculate in order to get total cement volume as listed below:

1. cement in the annulus between open hole and 7” casing

2. cement in annulus between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing

3. cement in shoe track

The cement volume is based on annular capacity multiplied by cement length of each section.

Cement in the annulus between open hole and 7” casing

Annular capacity between open hole and 7” casing = (8.62-72) ÷ 1029.4 = 0.02425 bbl/ft

Length from 7” casing shoe to 9-5/8” casing shoe = 9000 – 6500 = 2500 ft

Cement in the annulus between open hole and 7” casing = 0.02425x2500 = 60.6 bbl

Cement in annulus between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing

Annular capacity between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing = (8.852-72) ÷ 1029.4 = 0.02849 bbl/ft

Length of cement inside 7” casing = 2000 ft

Cement in annulus between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing = 0.02849 x 2000 = 57 bbl

Cement in shoe track

Capacity of 7” casing = 6.1852 ÷ 1029.4 = 0.03716 bbl/ft

Shoe track length = 40 ft

Cement in shoe track = 40 x 0.03716 = 1.5 bbl

Total Cement Volume

Total cement = 60.6 + 57 + 1.5 = 119.1 bbl

Determine space volume

As per the cement program, spacer will be at surface.

Spacer volume = Annular capacity between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing x length of spacer

Annular capacity between 9-5/8” casing and 7” casing = (8.852-72) ÷ 1029.4 = 0.02849 bbl/ft

Length of spacer = volume annulus to TOC

TOC 2000 ft inside casing shoe = 6,500 – 2,000 = 4,500 ft

Spacer volume = 0.02849 x 4,500 = 128.2 bbl

Determine displace volume

The displacement volume is from surface to the float collar where the top plug will sit on.

Displacement volume = Capacity of 7” casing x Length to the float collar

Capacity of 7” casing = 6.1852 ÷ 1029.4 = 0.03716 bbl/ft

Length to the float collar = 8,960 ft

Displacement volume = 0.03716 x 8960 = 333 bbl

Conclusion for this cement calculation

• Cement volume = 119.1 bbl

• Spacer volume = 128.2 bbl

• Displace volume = 333 bbl

With this example, I wish you would understand more about how to determine cement volume. Please remember that any cement volume calculation is based on this concept.

Ref: The topic of Calculate Cement (Oil Well Cement) Volume Required at the drilling formulas blog.

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New York is the third largest consumer among the United States of natural gas.  And it’s also the area from where most of the hot air arises when it comes to purposeful misinformation and blatant hypocrisy.  I don’t believe a correlation exists between the two, but I’m sure their legislators in Albany could be talked into spending more money the state DOESN’T have to study possible connections between the two and the anti-drill crowd could then include that argument in their already never-ending arsenal of reasons why they don’t want NG drilling in their state.  I will take this moment to remind you, these reasons, as ludicrous as they sound to those of us around the industry, have managed to keep a drilling moratorium in place for three long years now.

Some of you might have heard about the ATGAS well in Bradford County PA where workers lost control of the wellhead during fracturing of the well on April 19, and because of the massive rain torrents received this spring, it was determined some of the fluid probably leaked into the nearby river.  Before the incident was even a couple of hours old, the gloom-and-doom crowd was lamenting how many gallons of heavily chemically laced fluid might have gone into the stream and what ramifications it would have.  They played armchair quarterback, criticizing everything from the amount of time it took for officials to be contacted, to the engineering of the equipment and demanded if a moratorium in Pennsylvania isn’t going to be enacted, then even more regulations need to be put in place.  From initial reports, it appears the water pressure took out one bolt, which compromised the other bolts’ ability to keep the wellhead in place.  Initial water testing results show no environmental impact has been experienced by the river life, the amount of fluid lost is much, much less than original reports, and Chesapeake has released the chemicals used in the frac phase for this well onto fracfocus.com.  My very smart husband has run the numbers and the amount of chemicals used were minimal. 

Now, in comparison, did anyone hear what happened in Vestal, New York on Monday?  A 15-foot concrete wall responsible for holding 580,000 gallons of sewage material within three treatment cells, shattered without warning Monday, causing an unprecedented and unquantifiable release from Broome County's major wastewater treatment plant AND it dumped into a nearby creek.  Keep in mind, Broome County is a hot spot for pro versus no drill arguments.  On Tuesday, the failure had as of yet went unexplained and it was unknown the amount of wastewater that had found its way to the creek.  You would think the environmentalists who rally the cry “Drilling is Evil” might have been tempted to take on a new cause.  Nope, they hardly batted an eye, just kept right on using the same tiring arguments against drilling:  namely bad industry practices, use of dangerous chemicals, and improper oversight.  An inspection of the structure this year in February found at least 157 deficiencies at the plant, many of which were structural concerns probably as a result of inadequate construction management.  Partially treated wastewater (as far as I can tell, still unknown) and about 250 tons of “rock media” ran into the creek and a parking lot.  Only about half of the rock media is expected to be recoverable.  And while the plant continues to process the wastewater best as it can, the discharged water now has higher nitrogen content than previously.  One pro-drilling advocate, noticing the lack of concern and no noticeable decrease of the anti-drill activity, has deemed it selective outcry.

And while we are on a crappy subject – (feel free to roll your eyes!) Late last year a small company, Inflection Energy, approached the Village of Owego, NY, and offered to buy their effluent, their wastewater, for using in their fracing operations.  The debate which ensued shows it’s not just the hydraulic fracturing the anti-gassers oppose, but anything that does or could pertain to drilling.  They swept in like hawks to protect (read: sway opinion with their fear-mongering techniques) this little town from all the troubles that would ensue, with their major focus being on the increased truck traffic.  Never mind the amount of trucks going to and from the already existing industrial area or the fact there is an existing train depot where transport takes place.  In a press release dated March 22 this year, the lone supporter of the deal, Owego Mayor Ed Arrington, issued the following.  Reminding his constituents that Inflection was responsible for all start-up costs, he stated, “The only way Inflection could recoup their cost was to buy water (from the town) and pay property rental (to the town) for access to the river.” He also expanded on what the loss of the deal would mean to village taxpayers. “Federally mandated upgrades… to the Village Wastewater Treatment Facility (in order to bring them into compliance with the new Chesapeake Bay water quality standards) have an estimated cost of 7.2 million dollars. What that means to the taxpayers is that without the deal with Inflection Energy … sewer bills could increase by approximately 40%, this is in addition to the 38% increase implemented in 2010… the village taxpayers have lost the potential to receive 50.5 million dollars [over the next 10 years].” http://owegopennysaver.com/index.php/2011/03/27/owego-board-votes-t...

Speaking of the Chesapeake Bay (quickly), the AG of Maryland, in another waste of taxpayers’ money and the ever wonderful political posturing of which only an avid anti would engage has decided to sue Chesapeake Energy over the aforementioned incident in Bradford County, just in case some of the frac chemicals wind up in the Bay.  Truly folks, for those of you who are fans of its reading material, some of this sounds like something from The Onion.  But, even if I wanted to, I don’t think I possess the necessary imagination to even start making some of this stuff up.  I DO know, for much longer than drilling has been occurring in the Marcellus, there has been a long-standing understanding that you don’t eat more than two fish per month caught out of local rivers.  It seems over the years, the waterways been subjected to considerable amounts of mercury.

I’ll leave you with one other water related anecdote and then call it good for this post.  The Delaware River Basin is in or is the watershed for NYC.  It covers three states and a small sliver of it might lie within a provable Marcellus region.  Shortly after catching wind that drilling could conceivably occur within the basin, the Delaware River Basin Commission took it upon itself to rewrite the DRBC’s regulations on industrial activities.  The new draft regulations would effectively prohibit ALL gas drilling.  For once, the two sides agreed the DRAFT regulations were unsatisfactory, the pro-drilling side arguing they were overstepping state regulations, and the opponents arguing they weren’t restrictive enough, because they didn’t ban drilling all together.

One of the major quarrels in this region is the amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing is “too much” and will eventually be detrimental to the streams and rivers.  The argument is set forth in such a way by the other side, they would have people believing water withdrawn to be used for fracing (apparently only fracing – other withdrawals are OK?) cause the rivers to dry up.  One interesting, trivial (to them) piece of information they tend to leave out; leaks in the Basin’s aqueduct are responsible for the loss of 10 to 35 million gallons of water EACH DAY!

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19th, 2012

It's early in the new year and already we are seeing a number of catastrophic drilling accidents which include blowouts and deaths. Despite millions being spent by drilling contractors in training and HSE each year, the deadly pattern continues with the latest tragedy being the KS Endeavor platform off the coast of Nigeria where today 2 missing workers were declared "missing and presumed dead" after the drilling rig blow out that occurred while drilling for Chevron.

Tonight I visited the OSHA website (OSHA records accident details for all industries in the United States) wanting to find out just how oilfield fatalities are occurring. Reading and learning from these tragedies are ways to prevent them in the future.

After reading several hours I have highlighted many drilling rig accidents that have been recorded on the OSHA site over the last several years with links to details of each accident below. I look forward to your comments on how we can make drilling wells a safer occupation.

There are several more pages that include oilfield related drilling fatalities so I plan to update this blog over the next few weeks with those details. Please bookmark this page to follow these reports.

Employee Is Killed When Struck By Falling Pipe

Employee #1 was using an air hoist to lift a 12-foot long, 6.25-inch diameter pipe segment that weighed approximately 1,200 pounds onto a drilling platform. The suspended load did not have a tag line, and the chain sling had been wrapped around the pipe, without a shoulder or place to connect the lifting adapter, with a double half-hitch configuration. The load slipped out of the chain sling and struck Employee #1, killing him.
Details

Employee Killed In Fall From Oil Derrick
Employee #1, the derrick man on a drilling rig that was being rigged down, went up the ladder after the cathead line had become entangled as the stabbing board was being lowered. He was observed pulling on the catline and then had a coworker cut the tag line that went to the fall protection line. He was observed pulling on this tag line, and then climbed to a higher elevation, apparently free climbing because the climb assist was stuck. Shortly thereafter, the counterweight to the climb assist was heard coming down the line very fast and then hit the end of the line. Employee #1 lost his grip and fell 50 ft to the oil rig floor. He was killed. The climb assist apparently was entangled with the tag line for the fall protection. When Employee #1 climbed to a higher level, he created slack in the climb assist so that when it came free, it accelerated very rapidly. This caused a shock overload to its pulley, which apparently jerked Employee #1 off the ladder. Employee #1's failure to use the fall protection equipment also contributed to the accident.

Details

Employee Is Killed In Fall From Rig Monkeyboard

Employee #1, the derrickman, disconnected from his fall protection and stepped or fell off the monkeyboard. Employee #1 was killed in the fall. The investigation was in progress at the time this report was written.
Details

Employee Is Killed When Struck By High Pressure Line

Employee #1 was working on a high pressure line. An explosion occurred, causing the line to strike and kill Employee #1.

The Cause:
Employees were using a 600 psi Hammond ball valve in a 5,000 psi PZL (PZL-11) Triplex drilling mud pump (reduced to 4,200 psi) to pump water through the line. The Hammond 600 psi ball valve failed resulting in one employee being hospitalized and one employee fatality injured.
Details

Employee Is Killed When Struck By Drill Pipe Collar

Employee #1, a derrick man, was working the drilling board (monkey board) when a drill pipe collar came loose from the securing chain and struck him in the head. When reached by coworkers, he was determined to be unconscious. Paramedics were unsuccessful in resuscitation, and Employee #1 was pronounced dead at the scene.

Feasible and Acceptable Abatement Methods would include: 1. Ensure that employees are protected from being struck by drill collars due to the stand of drill collars stored in the alley behind the derrick man. 2. Modify the current procedure for securing the drill collars in the alley. 3. Ensure that employees are trained on securing the stand of drill collars, properly.
Details

Employee Is Killed When Crushed By Falling Pipe

Employee #1 was attempting to repair brackets on a pipe rack. He crawled underneath the tubing and the pipe rack collapsed. He was struck on the back by four 30 ft joints of oil well tubing. Employee #1 was asphyxiated.
Details

Employee Is Burned When Oil Well Blows Out, Later Dies

Employee #1 was operating a pump truck supplying fresh water to the cement truck. After the bottom plug was poured, the well started to flow, uncontrollably. The fluids from the well were reaching the tubing board on the rig mast and falling onto the trucks. The fluids ignited burning 40 percent of Employee #1's body. Employee #1 was being treated at a hospital when he died from complications from the burns.
Details

Employee Is Killed When Safety Harness Strikes
Employee #1 was painting a traveling block of an "A" frame of the drilling unit. Following the completion of the job task, Employee #1 disconnected his lanyard and let it dangle below him. As Employee #1 was being lowered by the air hoist, the lanyard and the air line entangled in the rotating kelly on a rig floor. Employee #1 was pulled into the rotating kelly and struck by the safety harness. He was killed.

OSHA Imposed fines and quoted the following:

American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 54, August 1999 states in Paragraph 5.5.1 " All personnel, when engaged in work ten feet above the rig floor or other working surfaces, shall be protected at all times from falling by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems (PFAS). When the employer can demonstrate that it is infeasible or creates a greater hazard to use these systems, the employer shall develop and implement an alternative fall protection plan that provides for personnel safety."

American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 54, August 1999 states in Paragraph 6.8.5 "No personnel shall clean, lubricate, or repair any machinery where there is a hazard of contact with moving parts until such machinery has been stopped or such parts have been properly guarded."

Details

Employee Is Killed When Pinned Between Derrick And Wall

A three-person crew was painting a rig derrick/mast that had been removed from its rig floor and placed horizontally on two stands. The crew was lowering the diving board to its storage/resting position, when the diving board section started to jam up and would not lower to its storage/resting position. Employee #1 was trying to get the back wind wall unjammed, when the board fingers pinched his head against the back wind wall, crushing his head. It appeared as though the cable associated with the wench being used to lower the boards had some slack in the line, and, when Employee #1 freed the wind wall, the board fell into its resting position, pinching the employees head between the fingers and the wind wall. Employee #1 was killed.
Details

Employee Is Struck By Falling Oilfield Equipment, Later Dies

Employee #1, the lead operator of a nipple-up crew and two other crew members had completed torquing the bolts on a dry hole tree at the wellhead of a natural gas well and were preparing to exit from the rig's substructure. Another nipple-up employee had erected a pump beneath the substructure to test the wellhead. Two employees of the drilling crew had begun rig-down activities and had lowered one of two elevator links (bail) to the ground using the air tugger. Control of the second of the bails was lost during the lowering operation. The leg of the 0.25-in. chain sling broke and the bail fell, bouncing into the substructure where it struck Employee #1. Employee #1 suffered a laceration to the head, blunt force trauma to the right chest and shoulder, a fractured right leg and internal injuries. Employee #1 was declared dead a few hours after arrival at the hospital.

Details

Employee Is Struck By Falling Steps And Is Killed

Employee #1 was struck by falling steps when the metal steps he was ascending to the drilling platform dislodged and fell. Employee #1 also fell and the steps landed on him. Employee #1 died of asphyxiation.

OSHA Found:
The drilling contractor did not ensure that employees were protected from falls and a crushing hazard due to inadequately secured stairs leading from the drilling platform to the mud tank. One feasible and acceptable method to abate the hazards noted above would be to secure the steps at more than one point.
Details

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 Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria December 22, 2011 (AP)

An oil spill near the coast of Nigeria is likely the worst to hit those waters in a decade, a government official said Thursday, as slicks from the Royal Dutch Shell PLC spill approached the southern shoreline.

The slick from Shell's Bonga field has affected 115 miles of ocean near Nigeria's coast, Peter Idabor, who leads the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, told The Associated Press. Idabor said officials expect the slick to reach beaches in Rivers state by Thursday afternoon

Shell, the major oil producer in Nigeria, said Wednesday the spill likely occurred as workers tried to offload oil onto a waiting tanker

The source of the leak has been plugged, Idabor said, but the spill still threatens the shoreline and wildlife. Idabor said experts from Britain were coming to help with the cleanup

Environmentalists blame Shell for polluting the country's oil-rich Niger Delta

Shell in recent years has said most of the spills in the delta are caused by thieves tapping into pipelines to steal crude oil, which ends up sold into the black market or cooked into a crude diesel or kerosene

bonga_oil_spill_20-dec-2011.pdf

Improved approaches are needed for assessing different safety-related scenarios and  the associated risk levels prior to the occurrence of a relevant incident

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Trying to find someplace that a guy could get 1502 plug valves they are in short supply here in North Dakota and months out at the distributors in the state. If anyone knows where to find any i would be grateful for the info.

 Thanks

Call NOV or Bell Supply in Kilgore, Texas and have them shipped to you

You may have tryed this ! Call Kemper Valve In Sulpher, Ok. Or FMC in Stephenville,Tx. Or as Cactus said you may try the supply stores, But my guess would be the supply stores are haveing a hard time getting from people like the ones i posted above..

We have lots up here in alaska in prudhoe bay, but we are having a whiteout snow storm right now. Good luck in your search FMC is your best bet.

If anyone sees Darrie Lindberg, tell him murdock said you rock old man, and the nordic guys said hello too.

You might try Schlumberger or Halliburton, or one of the other service companies, they might lease you some until you can get some from a distributor. I would imagine that FMC and the other valve companies are trying to play catchup with the recent booms going on overseas and in the Northern US, and that is why the supply houses and others are having a hard time getting them.

Call James at Weatherford, Williston.  If he can't find it for ya, nobody can.  701-339-2929. Tell him I sent ya.

May be something of a haul from West Texas but Halliburton has plenty.lol

Contact Phoinix Global LLC., Alice, TX  361-664-6163

They manufacture them.

We can get them for you WB Supply Co  the 2" are running about 8 to 12 weeks out but 3" is usually shipped next day I you need any help call 806-669-1103 Ask for Mark or Brock or email me at bhodges@wbsupply.com  we can help you out for anything you may need, or do our best to get you what you need.

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