PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF NEW RIG SUPERVISORS A MUST

David P. Nordt
Marathon Oil Co.
Houston

Matthew S. Stone
Marathon Oil Co.
Bridgeport, Ill.

Because the number of drilling personnel has dropped dramatically over the last decade, many operators now face a shortage of competent rig supervisors.

To be effective, the rig supervisor must develop a knowledge of drilling operations, apply optimization techniques to improve drilling performance, demand safe work practices, and protect the environment. Accomplishing these objectives requires a systematic refinement of technical, leadership, and communication skills gained through a professional training program.

If history repeats, preparing the next generation of supervisors will be costly.1 Developing drilling experience is expensive because of training costs and the high cost of learning-curve mistakes.

Petroleum engineering degree programs and industry training programs can teach the rig supervisor specific technical and management skills; however, traditionally, the supervisor trainee shadows an experienced company man to learn how to direct a drilling operation.2 The success of this method depends not only on the skills and learning capabilities of the trainee but also on the trainer's time, motivation, knowledge, and ability to teach the skills necessary to direct drilling activities.

At best, this method prepares new supervisors to handle future drilling situations similar to those encountered during their on-the-job training. At worst, the trainees are left unprepared to adapt their limited experience to unfamiliar situations.

New supervisors are often overwhelmed by the many details of their jobs. To minimize mistakes, they must focus on the basic aspects of their responsibilities.3 The supervisor's main goal is to drill more usable footage for less cost with due respect for safety and the environment.

Usable means the well can be evaluated, tested, and possibly completed with minimal formation damage, maximum well control, and proven mechanical integrity.

Supervisors must plan, schedule, and coordinate drilling operations without forgetting their primary responsibility: the integrity of the well bore. To be effective, they must develop and use operational knowledge of the drilling project, apply optimization techniques to improve drilling performance, demand safe work practices, and protect the environment 24 hours a day.

Some managers feel there is nothing wrong with the way their company prepares and supports its rig supervisors. Some companies have good development programs for rig supervisors; others believe that abuse is a character builder.

Many drilling managers, however, can see the need for improvement in training programs.

With many companies reducing U.S. drilling programs and expanding international operations, the possibility of a rig supervisor building an entire career in a specific geographical area is slim. This evolution requires a versatility of rig supervisors that previously was not required.

MANAGEMENT'S ROLE

The two main issues in preparing and supporting rig supervisors are getting them off to a good start and continuing their development. Often, a drilling organization welcomes a new "warm body" to its ranks but then misses the opportunity to help him step out on the right foot.

The company sends him out on a low profile well "to sink or swim. " A lack of initial direction can leave the new rig supervisor professionally isolated.

When is the last time a supervisor was sent to a meaningful seminar or school or given a verbal pat on the back? Rig supervisors need positive reenforcement and continuing education.

Without the help of management, rig supervisors will not mature into the high-quality personnel needed for tomorrow's diverse operational and technical requirements. Such super drillers will include only those who can readily adapt to changing drilling operations, routinely apply drilling optimization techniques, demand safe work practices, and commit to protecting the environment.

Company profits are increased through efficient drilling operations. The rig supervisor who plans and optimizes drilling operations can increase profits by decreasing the associated drilling costs.

Neglect in training supervisors increases a company's risks from their actions. Every manager should occasionally spend some time on rig to appreciate fully the potential operational and environmental liabilities of a drilling project.

Historically, developing supervisory experience has been expensive because of the mistakes associated with inexperience. Huge sums of drilling and exploration funds have been squandered over the past few decades because of these mistakes.

THE NEXT GENERATION

How should management support drilling supervisors?

The solution begins with balanced career development programs that blend mandatory training with advanced schooling.

Balanced career development is neither the annual mandatory school nor is it attending the same school five times in 4 years. Balanced career development is not hiring course instructors from the yellow pages because they are cheaper than recognized industry experts. Moreover, it is definitely not scheduling a rig supervisor to a school only once every 10 years. A supervisor should not work in the same field for 5 years nor be refused the opportunity to work on challenging wells because he has less experience than others in the drilling group.

Balanced career development is different for each supervisor because of individual needs, strengths, and weaknesses.

A company must have plans for long-term career growth opportunities for any serious program of preparing the next generation of supervisors.

These plans require a tremendous effort and are among the toughest chores for drilling managers-probably why such a poor job has often been done in the past. In defense of the drilling managers, almost everyone in drilling knows that the rig schedule changes the minute it is published, which makes it difficult to plan past the next crew change.

The types of projects are generally known, however. Rig supervisors who have experience with a particular geographic area or certain well type can be rotated with the less experienced supervisors. The newer supervisor receives valuable experience without leaving the company completely exposed.

For rig supervisors who have not received varied experience, those who have been supervising rigs for 10 years can be thought of as having 1 year's experience 10 times. Cross-training personnel on temporary assignments from different organizations within the company, such as a field production job, will help the rig supervisors see how their efforts affect other disciplines.

The opportunities must be spread around, and good performance must be rewarded with perks, such as a good temporary assignment or a practical school.

Management should fairly evaluate the performance of rig personnel. Unfortunately, drilling performance cannot be adequately judged from the office. Drilling managers must spend time in the field to evaluate the rig supervisors and determine where they need further development. The supervisor will then also know exactly what is expected of him.

If a company asks its personnel to spend millions of dollars a year prudently, possess a broad knowledge of drilling operations, understand and apply optimization techniques to improve drilling performance, coach safety to rig personnel, and protect the environment, all while spending half the year or more away from their families, then the rig supervisors should be well paid.

"They ought to be glad they just have a job" is an attitude that must be eliminated from drilling managers' thinking. Drilling managers must take care of their employees because a drilling organization is only as good as its rig supervisors.

In larger organizations in which rig supervisors are spread out geographically, at least one person needs to be responsible for coordinating the development of all drilling professionals. A coordinator can help ensure that the drilling professionals get varied experience and that the company has the right people in the right place to optimize drilling expenditures.

Often, a rig supervisor's desires concerning location and type of work can fit nicely with the company's objectives. Companies should consider these factors to avoid losing their experienced supervisors. Coordinating is difficult without an individual analyzing the "big picture."

OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Operational knowledge helps the supervisor predict timing and the sequence of drilling activities, develop contingency plans for interruptions or problems, control costs with logistical planning, maintain working conditions within operational limitations, and effectively communicate with others. Developing operational knowledge requires keeping good records and a clear understanding of the well plan and objectives. Good records and procedures help prevent accidents, preserve properties, and save money.

Operational knowledge includes the subjects of well geometry, well control, downhole and surface equipment, location, logistics, and records (trip tank, kill sheet, drillstring record, contractor equipment, rental equipment, service companies, and telephone numbers).

WELL CONTROL

The mandatory maintenance of well control is the supervisor's highest priority. The lack of well-control standards and procedures unnecessarily endangers personnel, equipment, and the environment. The supervisor must conduct operations to minimize the chance of a kick. If a kick occurs, however, the kick must be managed to ensure that control is not lost during the kill.

Therefore, the supervisor must oversee the assembly and testing of well control equipment and never permit short cuts which can be dangerous and costly to the Supervisor and the company. For example, a rig supervisor for one operating company delayed the blowout preventer (BOP) test beyond the 7-day period on his own initiative. The supervisor was charged with a criminal violation, and the company received a $750,000 fine.5

Documentation enhances a rig supervisor's well control knowledge. Sketches of BOP stack and choke manifold schematics can save valuable time in well-control situations. For example, knowing the spacing between rams helps to quickly verify whether the drill pipe tool joint lies safely above or below a closing ram. Drawings can reveal inadequate equipment or plumbing errors that might otherwise get overlooked.

Keeping a trip-tank record helps the supervisor monitor proper hole fill-up on trips to avoid a potential kick. The record charts the actual and theoretical fill-up volumes and the cumulative gain or loss. The proper reaction to gain or loss may vary from area to area; thus, a record of previous trips is important.

Maintaining a partially filled-in kill sheet can save time when a kick occurs. A periodic update keeps well-control prevention and response on the supervisor's mind. As a precaution against calculation errors, both the rig supervisor and the contract driller need to complete and compare kill sheets.

WELL GEOMETRY

A well bore schematic provides a visual representation of well construction and geometry. The schematic serves as a focal point for discussions on operational procedures, potential problems, and well history.

The well bore schematic should include detailed information on depths, casing dimensions and strengths, hole diameters, cement tops, annular volume factors, and formations with potential problems such as washouts, heaving and differential sticking, lost circulation, and hydrocarbon shows.

EQUIPMENT

A drillstring record provides documentation of downhole equipment for performance evaluation and reference in case a problem occurs with the tools in the hole. The drillstring record should include descriptions, dimensions, and material specifications.

The rig supervisor should give particular attention to the purpose, grades, weights, connectors, mechanics, limitations, internal diameters, external diameters, lengths, shapes, and "fishability" of every component. The supervisor should ensure that drilling crews follow industry and company standards on inspection and handling.

No tool should enter the hole without the supervisor having first completed a description and sketch. The supervisor should always count and examine what goes in and what comes out of the hole.

A mud system schematic with the tank dimensions, mud flow path, solids-control equipment, and mud-mixing equipment assists in planning mud treatment and volumes. By sketching and analyzing the flow path and mud equipment, a rig supervisor may uncover poor use of solids control equipment. The drawings also reveal mixing capabilities, pump characteristics, and gas handling capabilities, all of which are critical in well control.

LOCATION

Drawing a location schematic helps in planning the site and placing rig equipment. A location built too large wastes money, but a location not built to handle rig equipment is potentially unsafe and more expensive.

The location schematic should identify each piece of equipment, provide good directions to the location according to area landmarks, highlight environmental concerns, and contain any special instructions from landowners.

An accurate map and rig directions efficiently guide service personnel and equipment to the rig site, thus avoiding lost time waiting on misdirected equipment. Indications of environmental factors, such as the likely flow path for a spill, can help concentrate the efforts should a spill occur.

Respecting the requests of landowners can reduce costly damage claims and maintain good community relations.

LOGISTICS

In logistics planning, the supervisor concentrates on the timing and resources needed for upcoming operations. The timing of personnel and equipment needs can be projected from evaluations of past drilling records with adjustments for present rig performance. Upcoming operations should be discussed with contractor and third-party personnel who may provide insight on planning and procedures.

Knowing what equipment is available is important in logistics planning. The rig supervisor should check equipment arriving on location as soon as possible to ensure that the equipment is not damaged and that the ordered equipment was delivered.

The supervisor should also maintain a list of all the contractor's equipment to know what is available in case problems occur. The equipment list can also be used to check the condition of the contractor's equipment against the inventory list before the rig is accepted.

Maintaining a rental equipment list is necessary for the same reasons as keeping a contractor equipment list, and this list is vital for keeping costs down. The rental equipment list should include a description of the equipment, serial numbers, dates delivered and returned, mode of transportation, rental costs, and the rental company's name and phone number.

Any used or unnecessary rental equipment should be sent in as soon as possible; however, minimizing transportation costs is also a goal. These two considerations can be optimized by keeping accurate daily costs.

Rental equipment can easily become lost, damaged, or mixed with contractor and service company equipment, resulting in otherwise avoidable expenditures.

An approved list of service companies should contain companies, with contacts and phone numbers, for any service possibly needed.

The prices for services should be agreed upon in advance; otherwise, the supervisor must either solicit bids when an unanticipated service is needed or pay book price. In areas new to a rig supervisor, he should determine the closest fishing tool company and the best wire line company in the area.

The rig site should also include a list of the telephone numbers of relevant government agencies, medical services, and operator personnel to call in emergencies. This list should include local hospitals and ambulance services, state and local police departments, the state oil and gas regulatory agency, the operator's safety and environmental representatives, and local fire departments.

Additionally, the list should include personnel from the operating company: the drilling superintendent, the drilling manager, the drilling engineer, and the geologist.

OPTIMIZATION

Drilling optimization is the logical process of analyzing effects and interactions of drilling variables to achieve maximum drilling efficiency.6 Drilling optimization starts with the well plan: the casing-point selection, tubular design philosophy, and operating procedures. The supervisor's ability to optimize drilling operations depends on the rig, the rig contract, well location, well specifications, drilling conditions, company policy, and rig performance.

Many resources detail optimization techniques for field applications.7 8 This section, however, only highlights those areas over which the supervisor normally exercises control (Fig. 1).

MUD SYSTEM

The mud system is related to many drilling problems.

If the hole does not have instability, cleaning, or other problems, then the supervisor should continue to use the planned mud program.

The supervisor should stay alert for mud property changes that might signal a deterioration in downhole conditions. When a potential problem arises, the supervisor should analyze the situation to determine the causes and possible solutions.

Mud-related hole problems are induced b chemical or mechanical mechanisms. Chemical-induced hole instability includes shale swelling, shale dispersion, and soluble formations. Mechanical-induced hole instability includes shale sloughing, surging-and-swabbing, drillstring geometry problems, annular hydraulics, well bore deviation, and fluid invasion.

One common tendency is to assume that chemical treatments, such as inhibition or dispersion, will solve hole problems. However, treatment may be as simple as changing pump rates, shaker screens, or mud weight.

HYDRAULICS

Hydraulics affect bit cleaning, hole cleaning, fluid pressures, hole stability, and penetration rate. The supervisor can optimize these factors by selecting bit nozzles to maximize jet impact force or some other criteria, adjusting annular velocities for adequate cuttings transport, calculating downhole circulation and swab-and-surge pressure effects on well control and well bore integrity, and monitoring velocities to maintain drilling mud in the proper flow regime (laminar or turbulent).

These factors are usually adjusted to maximize the rate of penetration while the well is drilled with the maximum allowed pump pressure with a flow rate between the minimum and critical annular velocities.

DRILLSTRING

The drillstring can contain drill pipe of various weights and grades; conventional, spiral, nonmagnetic, or square drill collars; and welded, integral blade, straight, or spiral stabilizers. Roller reamers, jars, or shock-absorbing subs may also be required.

The correct drillstring configuration is essential to avoiding many drilling problems. The rig supervisor runs a particular drillstring based on the well depth, rock type, required bit weight, deviation control, differential sticking, possibility for H2S service, corrosion, tool-joint requirements, hydraulic requirements, and casing wear. Additionally, dynamic stability and load configurations are a concern in keeping the string together.

Critical operations may require frequent drillstring inspections. The rig supervisor must think of every component as a potential fish--nothing should be run in the hole if it cannot be recovered if lost downhole.

BIT SELECTION

The optimum bit minimizes the cost per foot in relation to bit, rotating, connection, and trip costs. Good bit records, knowledge of formations, and an understanding of bit design help in bit selection. Bit technology manuals can give the rig supervisor background needed for bit selection.

The most important part of the bit record is detailed dull-bit grading, and the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) dull-bit grading system should be used properly. Bit records are available from bit manufacturers, drilling contractors, and other operators.

Bit optimization depends on knowing the formations to be drilled. The rig supervisor should insist that the geologists provide a geologic column from surface to total depth, if available. The geologic column includes all data that might affect bit performance.

BIT WEIGHT, ROTARY SPEED

For minimum cost during uncontrolled drilling, there is a unique bit weight and rotary speed combination for the drillstring, bit, and hydraulics used. An experienced driller can find some combination of bit weight and rotary speed to maximize the rate of penetration.

The supervisor must predict bit life not only as a function of bit weight and rotary speed but also relative to the drilling cost relationships among rotating, connection, and trip time to determine the lowest cost per foot.

KICK TOLERANCE

In most drilling operations, mud weight keeps exposed formation fluids from flowing. The supervisor should manage mud weight to balance the maximum formation pressure plus an additional mud-weight margin required for tripping.

If the mud weight increases too much, however, the well may not be able to handle a kick without losing circulation. Therefore, when the calculated mud weight plus annular friction pressure plus kick tolerance reaches the point at which the formation will fracture, drilling should be halted, and the open hole should be isolated with casing and cement.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The supervisor should ensure that dangerous equipment and structures are shielded to protect workers and that rig and service personnel know how to work safely. Because unsafe acts cause most injuries, a majority of accidents can be prevented by changing unsafe work practices.9

Procedures associated with pressure, torque, tension, or equipment movement require particular attention.

The supervisor's environmental responsibility is to preserve water and air quality during location preparation, drilling of the well, and location cleanup.10 Supervisors can best accomplish environmental responsibility through a proactive stance of initiating the proper procedures rather than through a reactive stance of defending past actions.

Drilling operations should be consistent with company environmental policies and procedures, government regulations, and lease and landowner obligations. These operations require permits, verbal communications, and documentation.

Specific responsibilities for preserving water and air quality include: spill prevention and response, hazardous chemical management, waste management, reserve pit management.11

SPILL CONTROL

Preventing spills of oil or harmful products into protected waters and soil begins with the building and maintaining of an adequate reserve pit and location.

The planning of the drilling pad should include careful consideration of potential sources of spills and proximity to surface and groundwater. The supervisor must know the amount of seasonal rainfall, soil type, and terrain.

Additionally, he must identify and contact capable personnel and equipment for spill response.

Any problem that may cause a spill requires immediate attention.

For emergencies, absorbent pads should be kept on hand. Levees around storage tanks containing damaging liquids can help contain spills.

HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS

The drilling supervisor needs to ensure that personnel are educated on the proper handling of hazardous chemicals. Personnel should be familiar with identification, health hazards protective measures, and treatment for exposure.

The supervisor's responsibilities include the following:

Safely store and maintain any hazardous chemicals.
Try to reduce hazardous chemical use by substitution with less-hazardous chemicals.
Return unused chemicals and empty containers to the vendor or dispose of them at approved facilities.
Document the transportation of hazardous chemicals to and from the location.

These principles also apply to waste management.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

The U.S. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act defines hazardous wastes as wastes on its published list or those that are characteristically hazardous. The latter class is hazardous if the material is reactive, corrosive, ignitable, or toxic. Mixing hazardous wastes with nonhazardous materials renders the entire mixture hazardous.

Disposal of hazardous wastes is usually expensive. Therefore, hazardous wastes (solvents, for example) should not be placed in reserve pits containing nonhazardous wastes. Hazardous wastes should be segregated and stored in labeled, leak-proof containers according to regulations. The contents of an unknown waste should be tested to determine if they are hazardous.

Common disposal methods include treatment and recycling, use of approved disposal facilities, annular or deep well injection, land farming, on-site burial, solidification, and incineration.

The rig supervisor should scrutinize waste-management companies for regulatory credentials, technical ability, and financial solvency.

PIT MANAGEMENT

The reserve pits should be built to retain wastes and to prevent overflow from seasonal rains. The pit should be dug so that pit wastes cannot mix with usable ground and surface wastes. Lined pits, barrier walls, or closed mud systems should be used in environmentally sensitive areas. If discharges include materials other than freshwater muds, cuttings, and rig wash, pipes or lined trenches should be used. The drilling pad and pits should be constructed to collect rig wash, spills and leaks from drilling equipment, and storm water runoff and to keep off-site rain water from entering the reserve pit.

The reserve pit wastes should be restricted to muds, cuttings, rig wash, excess cement, and completion fluids. Nonfreshwater fluids, such as oil-based muds, should be stored in lined pits. Mud and cuttings containing hydrocarbons or salt should be isolated from those already in the reserve pit.

The supervisor should avoid operations that may puncture liners or use wastes which are incompatible with liner materials.

Pit management includes the responsibility to close the pit if necessary. During pit closure, free oil and other pit liquids should be removed for proper disposal. The pit may need to be tested for total dissolved solids, organics, and metals, depending on the compositions of the cuttings or mud additives.

Residual pit solids should be disposed of in a manner to protect soil and groundwater, according to regulations and lease obligations.

Disposal methods include burial, spreading on land, encapsulation, and use of approved facilities. Possible freshwater disposal options include well injection, evaporation, and spreading on land. At the end of a drilling operation, recyclable muds should be returned to the vendor, and the drilling location should be cleaned, leveled, and restored.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Rig computers and technical drilling software can help collect data, compile reports, perform time-consuming calculations, and keep the office current.12 However, a rig supervisor should never go to a location without a tool box containing technical references, operating tools, general references, and drawing and analysis tools (Table 1).

He must remember that batteries may fail, communications may go down, software may crash, the office works normal hours, and customs officials do as they will.

LEADERSHIP

The supervisor's leadership directly influences rig operations and morale. Leadership is defined by principles, not by personalities.

Good leadership requires personal integrity, a strong work ethic, and a positive attitude. The supervisor should never compromise safety, environmental responsibilities, or work standards. Honesty, safety, environmental protection, and expected work standards should be fairly enforced as a condition of employment. The supervisor who follows this policy will earn respect and have control over the operation.

COMMUNICATION

The supervisor should become an expert at asking good questions to clarify any points made in conversations and should make a habit of writing down important instructions.

Likewise, he must keep all groups informed of current and planned operations that affect them. Other interdisciplinary groups, such as reservoir and production engineers, are often left out of the communications loop once drilling operations start, but they often have vital offset or regional information, as well as input for logging, testing, and completion work.

Whenever possible, the supervisor should follow the chain of command in communicating instructions. If problems develop, the rig supervisor should inform management and be prepared to describe the problem accurately and recommend the best solution. Because a rig supervisor is often the only contact the company has with drilling operations, the supervisor's observations play a major role in management decisions (Fig. 2).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors thank Marathon Oil Co. and its drilling professionals for their input.

The authors also thank Charlie Prentice with Prentice Training Co. and John Griffin, an assistant professor at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, for their review comments.

REFERENCES

O'Brien, T.B., "People-The Drilling Problem," SPE paper 5167 presented at the SPE Deep Drilling and Production Symposium, Amarillo, Tex., Sept. 8-10, 1974.
Davis, N. II, and Simmons, E.L., "From Derrick to Desk: A Drilling Training Program, " IADC/SPE paper 13427, presented at the IADC/SPE Annual Drilling Conference, New Orleans, Mar. 6-8, 1985.
Hunt, A.L., Pocket Guide To Supervising in the Oilfield, Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, 1983.
Rotary Drilling, Units 1-5, Petroleum Extension Service, Austin, 1987.
Ocean Oil Weekly Report, Dec. 5, 1988.
Lummus, J.L., and Azar, J.J., Drilling Fluids Optimization, A Practical Field Approach, PennWell Publishing Co., Tulsa, 1986.
Bourgoyne, A.T. Jr., Chenevert, M.E., Millhelm, K.K., and Young, F.S. Jr., Applied Drilling Engineering, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, Tex., 1986.
Young, F.S. Jr., "Computerized Drilling Control," SPE paper 2241, presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference, Houston, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 1968.
Safety Training Observation Program For Supervision, Units 1-7, Du Pont Co., 1986.
API Environmental Guidance Document: Onshore Solid Waste Management In Exploration And Production Operations, API Publications and Distribution, Washington D.C., 1989.
SPE Environmental Forum 1991, Oklahoma City, June 4, 1991.
Williams, J.B., "Computerized Drilling Operations, Current and Future Trends in Computer-Aided Drilling and Their Impact on Drilling Operations," Petroleum Management, August 1990, pp. 41-43.