Description of an Oil-Well

In general terms an oil-well is similar to any other borehole drilled for the purpose of producing water or other fluids.

The well bore length exceeds many times its diameter. The opening of the well bore at the surface is called the well head and its lower part the bottom hole. The depth of an oil-well is controlled by the depth at which oil is found.

The diameter of a well varies. A deep well has a diameter at the surface of about 16-18 inches, which diameter is reduced progressively to about 6 inches at the bottom. The diameter of oil string depends in the main on the expected productivity of the well.

As drilling proceeds, subsurface waters or formations of a caving nature are often encountered. To exclude such water from the well and to hold back the caving formations, the well is lined with steel tubes known as casing.

The number of “strings” of casing and their diameter is controlled by local conditions and by the depth to which the well is to be drilled.

Oil-well casing is usually made of solid drawn tubes with screwed and socketed joints. There may be within the well bore several strings of casing: the surface casing, the intermediate or protective string and the oil string.

In cases where the oil is struck at high pressures or where it is essential that all upper shows must be permanently sealed off or segregated from each other each string of casing is cemented in place. The section of a completed oil-well resembles a telescope, the eye-piece end being the bottom of the well and the large and the top of the well.

The necessary valves and fittings, known as the “Christmas Tree” for closing-in or controlling the production, are attached to the inner or “oil string” of casing.

There are different kinds of oil wells depending on the purpose for which they drilled, such as: key holes, exploratory walls, wild cats, producing wells or producers, seismic wells and etc.

Послетекстовые упражнения

1. Ответьте на следующие вопросы:

1) For what purpose is any borehole drilled?

2) What is called well head?

3) What is the depth of an oil well controlled by?

4) Is the diameter at the surface the same as it is on the bottom?

5) What is done to exclude water from the well?

6) What kinds of strings of casing may be within the well bore?

7) What is “The Christmas Tree” used for?

8) What kinds of oil wells do you know?

2. Найдите в правой колонке русские эквиваленты следующих сочетаний слов:

1) well head 2) bottom hole 3) oil string 4) to exclude water from the well 5) solid draw in tubes 6) surface casing 7) at high pressure 8) valves and fittings 9) to control the production 10) oil well 11) wild cat 12) key hole 13) exploratory well

1) нефтяная скважина 2) под высоким давлением 3) скважина для нагнетания списанного воздуха или газа в пласт 4) цельнотянутые трубы 5) исключить воду из скважины 6) контролировать добычу 7) разведочная скважина 8) забой 9) поисковая скважина на новой площади 10) клапаны и арматура 11) эксплуатационная колонна труб 12) кондуктор (1-ая колонна обсадных труб) 13) устье скважины

3. Составьте предложения из слов:

1) many, The well, diameter, exceeds, its, bore, length.

2) an oil, is, for, well, drilled, times.

3) The purpose, petroleum, of, producing.

4. Закончите предложения, выбрав ответ, соответствующий содержанию текста:

1) The opening of the well bore at the surface is called:

a) the bottom hole b) oil string c) well head

2) The diameter of the oil string depends in the main:

a) on the productivity of the well

b) on the work of the driller

c) on the steel of which it is made

5. Суммируйте содержание текста, используя ключевые слова:

to be drilled to produce oil;

to exceed its diameter;

to depend on the local conditions;

to be lined with steel tubes;

to be within the drill bore;

to be attached to the oil string;

to be drilled for different purposes.

Lesson 5

Предтекстовые упражнения

Переведите, проанализируйте слова с различными суффиксами и разделите следующие слова на 3 группы: существительные, прилагательные, наречия.

equally, drilling, virtually, toolpusher, driller, additional, operation, portable, directly, assistant, safety, special, equipment, specification, rotary, originally, probably

Проанализируйте следующие слова.

toolpusher, derrickman, floorhand, roughneck, offshore, monkeyboard

Переведите на русский язык интернационализмы. Значения выделенных слов проверьте по словарю.

company, personnel, manager, assistant, supervisor, drill, mobile, cabin, manipulate, rotary, platform, special, monitor, condition, specification

Прочитайте текст и перечислите обязанности мастера на буровой.

People

While it is true that you can’t drill a well without a drilling rig and several companies to back up the rig, it is equally true that you can’t drill a well without skilled people. Personnel run the rig and keep it running until the well reaches its objective. Many people are involved in drilling.

Drilling Crews

A rig, when on site and drilling, operates virtually all the time, night and day, 365 days a year. Personnel directly responsible for making the rig drill are collectively known as the “drilling crew”.

The person in charge of the drilling crew may be called the “rig manager”, “rig superintendent” or “toolpusher”, depending on the drilling contractor’s preference. Besides the rig manager, or superintendent, each rig has drillers, derrickmen and rotary helpers (also called “floorhands” or “roughnecks”). What’s more, large land rigs and offshore rigs often have assistant rig supervisors, assistant drillers, as well as additional personnel who perform special functions particular to the rig.