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Politics : Welcome to Slider's Dugout
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To: Sharp_End_Of_Drill who wrote (9143)4/11/2008 2:24:33 PM
From: JimisJim   of 50756
 
I agree that headcounts are going up on rigs as more and more new jobs are invented as more and more rig activities become automated and have more machinery to operate and maintain.

But the number of people actually touching drill pipe, casing or other tubulars is decreasing. In fact, in Norway's North sea fields, once tubulars hit the pipe deck human hands are not allowed to touch any of it -- this created a new market (pioneered by the old VRC) for pipe deck machines, pickup laydown systems to move pipe from the pipe deck to be racked... also automated iron roughnecks can make or break any connection with just a push of a button... automated power slips... raised backup systems... rackers that can assemble triple or quad stands as they rack the stands into finger boards, etc., etc., etc.

So one really needs to at least be a trained operator of all this new equipment and that's where the biggest labor shortages are on rigs right now (and maybe experienced tool pushers and the like).

But overall, there are fewer people out there on rigs who use manual tongs and wrestle torque wrenches (that is, on rigs without auto iron roughnecks)... and fewer people doing the jobs that cost them digits -- did a training session for top drive drilling systems 20 years ago and the people in the class were all missing a digit or three...5 years ago, the people in the class all wore glasses, chinos and polo shirts and carried laptops around which they easily operated because they still had all of their digits.

There are more technicians on board these days than old-style rig hands... and there are computers and PLCs everywhere and a LOT more cabling.

I think we are saying the same thing basically.

Jim
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