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Can someone working in the oil industry explain the differen't work between the two? I understand the drilling process, but what do the service companies do? Rig up and down etc? Are service companies just as large offering good pay with benefits? There is a training course going up one for drilling and one for service and I can only afford one. Thanks
When you refer to the drilling company, I think you are referring to the operating company (Like Hess Corporation, Stat Oil, Continental Resources, Marathon, etc). These are the companies that lease minerals, permit wells, and pay service companies. For many of these companies, all that they do is design the well and provide detail plans and procedures. Almost all of the actual work is contracted out to service companies. The operating company usually also contracts out the actual drilling to drililng companies (Nabors, Cyclone, H &P, etc).
Service companies can: survey site locations, construct well site pads, move the rig and all support equipment to the location, drill, run casing, cement casing, run wireline, haul water, fuel, mud, chemicals to and from location, supply downhole tools, frac a well, monitor flowback, supply rental tools, clean and reclaim the location, etc. The vast majority of people in the oilfield are employed by service companies, not opearting companies.
Think of it like building a house. A general contractor often does very little and subs out almost everything. The subs are the service companies.
Had this discussion with my bf. He's roughnecked for years and was offered a roustabout job. Roughnecking pays better but it's not as dependable. He's chased rigs all over the country when things were slow here. Roustabouts are needed anywhere there are completed, producing wells. Pay not as good but much more dependable. Same goes with any production related service jobs.
I now understand more, but can someone explain what well control is, work over, and is most of the work in drilling, well control, or work over? How is the work right now in the oil field areas not just williston? I'm looking to take training at Williston State College is there a good chance for employment or is it dying down at the moment? I'd be looking more towards the Dickinson area unless I was offered housing. Thank you in advance
Service, work over rigs, production all would be working long after the drillers quit drilling....The drilling rig gets torn down once a well is completed "producing" the service, production type jobs....maintaining the wells is imo still working when driling rigs leave. If you want to be there for years, do the production or service job.
As far as real explanations, I'd do a search and then compare the service co., the production co., and the drilling co. as far as the "how does this work" explanations.
I did one search on "HowStuffWorks" here is a link on oil production...I'll let you do the other searches and comparing...Hope this helps. http://www.howstuffworks.com/search....tion+companies
Last edited by JanND; 11-21-2012 at 05:37 PM..
Reason: link
I now understand more, but can someone explain what well control is, work over, and is most of the work in drilling, well control, or work over? How is the work right now in the oil field areas not just williston? I'm looking to take training at Williston State College is there a good chance for employment or is it dying down at the moment? I'd be looking more towards the Dickinson area unless I was offered housing. Thank you in advance
Well Control, in a general term, is safety working on a wellbore with reservoir pressure. The formations producing oil are often over-pressured. If a hole was opened from the formation to the surface, the oil and natural gas would gush out unrestricted. Safetly controlling these pressurized formation fluids is what well control is all about. When proper well control procedures are not followed, it can lead to a blowout.
There are special well control people who deal with out of control wells, fires, etc. However, most well control classes will be focused on teaching safe practices and procedures while working on wells. There is very little work that is actual “well control”.
Drilling work is done on a large rig before the well is complete. Work overs are done on much smaller rigs after the well is complete. There are of course exceptions to both of these statements. There are plenty of people employed on both drilling and work over rigs. Without much experience, it is usually easier to get employed on a work over rig.
Can anybody tell me what demand is like for welders? I've seen some jobs online, but they didn't pay that well or seem to offer much overtime. With the cost of living and housing, I figure I'd have to make a decent wage with overtime just to cover my nut. I've been welding for 15 years, and I'm looking into the Bakken as a way to get out of Vegas, have a bit of adventure and make some real money. Been doing piece work and what not here for three years. Getting old.
Thanks in advance.
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