Oil-and-Gas

Why Straightness Matters in Drill Collars Drill collars are thick-walled tubes used in oil and gas drilling strings. They need a through-bore for drilling fluid circulation. The bores are typically 50-100mm in diameter through 6-10 meters of length. The straightness requirement is about 0.5mm per meter maximum. I have seen what happens when a drill collar exceeds this spec — the eccentric mass causes vibration in the drilling string that accelerates tool joint wear and can lead to down-hole tool failure. ...

Oil and gas deep hole drilling is a world of big parts and tough materials. Drill collars two meters long with a 50mm bore through the center. Valve bodies the size of a washing machine. Heat exchangers with tube sheets that need hundreds of holes drilled in a precise pattern. I’ve worked on oilfield components on and off for years. The work has its own pace and its own set of problems. ...