INTRODUCTION

Good morning everyone thanks you to be present to my presentation.

Let me introduce myself

I’m GOUIFE Boris. I’m trainee Petroleum Production Technician at the Oil and Gas
Institute of Monastir. I obtained a BSC in Geology from Yaoundé 1 University in
Cameroon; then I completed 02 years training in Hydraulics and Geotechnics at the
Central Africa Institute of Technology.

My objective today is to speak about the drilling process in the oil and gas field

I’ve divided my presentation in the 03 main parts. I’d like to start with a brief history
and uses of oil, my second is going to be an overview of drilling process and my
third one will be focussed on some offshore drilling differences.

The presentation should last about 5 minutes. It will be very interesting to take
notes and if you have any question I’d be grateful if you could leave them until the
end.
So first of all , A BRIEF HISTORY AND USES OF OIL

1. In 1859, while working for the Seneca Oil Company in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Edwin
L. Drake and his crew drilled the first modern oil well. They struck oil almost 70 feet (21
meters) down. America's oil boom, and the world's oil industry, was launched.

2. Oil or petroleum (also known as crude oil) is a fossil fuel found largely in vast
underground deposits. Oil and its byproducts (natural gas, gasoline, kerosene, asphalt, and fuel
oil, among others) did not have any real economic value until the middle of the nineteenth
century when drilling was first used as a method to obtain it.

3. Today, oil is produced on every continent but Antarctica. Despite increasingly

sophisticated methods of locating possible deposits and improved removal techniques, oil is still
obtained by drilling.

So, that covers this point

My next point is an OVERVIEW OF DRILLING PROCESS

1. The most common drill rigs are of the rotary rig type (see image). Today's rotary drill rig
consists of multiple engines that supply power, hoisting equipment that raises and lowers the
drill string (drill pipe), and rotating equipment that turns the drill string and the drill bit. These
engines also drive the circulating equipment that pumps liquids (mud) down the hole to
lubricate the drill string and drill bit which are rotating in the hole. These liquids remove
cuttings (loose bits of rock), and controls downhole pressure to prevent blowouts (unexpected
pressure, which overcomes the weight of the drilling mud and explodes to the surface).
2. The conventional drill bit has three movable cones containing teeth made of tungsten
carbide steel and sometimes industrial diamonds (see image). The rotating cones are the cutting
heads. The downward force on the drill bit is the result of the weight of the overhead drill stem
(steel pipe, pipe joints called collars) and drilling equipment on the derrick all of which can
amount to thousands of pounds. Keep in mind that the entire pipe and bit assembly rotate
together in the hole.

3. While the bit cuts the rock at the bottom of the hole, surface pumps are forcing drilling
fluids down the hole through the inside of the drill pipe and out the bit. This fluid lubricates and
removes cuttings. The fluid (with the cuttings) then flows out the center of the drill bit and is
forced back up the outside of the drill pipe onto the surface of the ground where it is cleaned of
debris and pumped back down the hole. This is an endless cycle that is maintained as long as
the drill bit is turning in the hole.

That completes my overview of drilling process and leads us to the last point.

OFFSHORE DRILLING

Offshore drilling processes and equipment are essentially the same as those on land, except that
special types of rigs are used depending on water depth. Jackup rigs, with legs attached to the
ocean floor, are used in shallow water with depths to 200 feet (61 meters).

In depths up to 4,000 feet (1,220 meters), drilling takes place on semisubmersible rigs that float
on air-filled legs and are anchored to the bottom. Drillships with very precise navigational
instruments are used in deep water with depths to 8,000 feet (2,440 meters). Once a promising
area has been identified, a huge fixed platform is constructed that can support as many as 42
offshore wells, along with living quarters for the drilling crew.

CONCLUSION
So this point brings me to the end of my presentation.

I’d like to summarise. We have seen the main mean of oil exploitation is the
drilling. Moreover, the most common drilling system, Rotary drilling involves the
use of drill bits which rotates and cuts into rock. Finally, we have talked about the
differences which can exist between both the onshore and offshore drilling.

I trust you have gained an insight into drilling process.

Thank you for your listening. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer
them.