If you're thinking about entering the oil industry, your business will depend largely on drilling equipment, and you'll benefit from learning drilling equipment key terms before you start shopping the expensive machinery. You'll be ahead of the game before you even break ground if you know there's more than one type of drilling rig, or if you familiar with common terms used by oil drilling equipment manufacturers and others in the industry.

Whether you're in the market for offshore drilling equipment or you're looking for an onshore drilling machine, familiarize yourself with the types of drilling oil rigs and other oil drilling machinery, as well as with oil drilling supplies and accessories. Below are some ways to help you recognize and understand drilling equipment key terms:

1. Get explanations about different types of oil drilling machinery.

2. Learn many common terms used in the drilling equipment industry.

3. Know some of the many kinds of accessories and parts, such as drill bits, used for drilling equipment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find examples and definitions of the types of oil drilling equipment

You'll soon discover that there's not only one type of drilling rig. From floating rigs to immobile offshore rigs (called platforms) made of steel or concrete that are mounted on the ocean floor, to drill ships (which as the name suggests, are large ships that anchor to the ocean floor and can drill in up to 10,000 feet of water), and even onshore oil drilling equipment, there are several types of oil drilling machinery available.

I recommend: Adventures in Energy, a tool of the American Petroleum Institue (API), provides definitions of the many kinds of drilling rigs, from jackup drilling rigs (floating barges that hold an oil drill and are used in shallow water) to semi-submersible rigs (rigs supported by pontoon-like structures under the water for drilling in depths over 300 feet), and more. Visit GE Oil & Gas and click on the equipment or systems of oil drilling machinery, such as Capital Drilling Equipment or Subsea Drilling Sytems, to get definitions of terms associated with each type.

Become familiar with most drilling equipment key terms, phrases and acronyms

From directional drilling, which is drilling laterally from the point where the drill enters the ground, to a process called workover, which is using many types of operations to increase well production, there are many terms and phrases unique to the oil drilling industry. Even acronyms like BOE (Barrel of Oil Equivalent), COST (Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Test) and OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) are used primarily in relation to offshore oil drilling and drilling equipment.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) defines most drilling equipment key terms from A to Z. Find definitions of many terms uniqe to the oil drilling industry at the U.S. Department of the Interior Gulf of Mexico Region Minerals Management Service.

Recognize drilling equipment key terms in relation to parts and accessories

Once you decide on what kind of drilling machinery you need for your business and have familiarized yourself with many key terms, learn what you can about parts and accessories. From different drill bits to parts such as kelly hoses, which are high-pressure rotary hoses used to deliver drilling fluid from a standpipe to a drill, it will prove beneficial to know at least some terms relating to drilling equipment accessories and parts.

I recommend: Get details about the different kinds of drilling bits available for drilling equipment at GAEA Technologies. T&T Oilfield Services supplies an exhaustive list of parts and accessories for drilling equipment, some terms you're likely to hear time and again. World Rig Supply give specifications and uses of many types of hoses and fittings used for drilling equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Visit an onshore or offshore drilling site, if possible, or local oil drilling equipment manufacturers or vendors and speak with individuals involved in the field to find out how many drilling equipment key terms are used in everyday business.

Oil drilling rigs are in demand around the world, as oil companies drill on land and offshore to meet energy needs. Getting the oil drilling equipment you need is all the more important now. Below, find information about oil drilling supplies, drilling rig equipment and onshore and offshore drilling equipment such as oil drilling rigs.

Some oil drilling equipment manufacturers make drilling equipment for offshore drilling as well as drilling on land. In addition, there are companies that supply petroleum drilling equipment for rent as well as for sale. The information provided should help your company equip itself for drilling for oil. Consider these options to help you find the right equipment for your business.

1. Get oil drilling supplies.

2. Find drilling rig equipment.

3. Acquire offshore drilling equipment.

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Locate oil drilling equipment for your company

Some of the oil drilling equipment needed on the site are mud motors and downhole equipment, weight indicators, blowout preventers and solids control. Find the oil drilling equipment to keep your drilling machine up and running.

I recommend: Cavo Drilling Motors sells and rents oil drilling machinery, such as mud motors. Waters International also sells and rents machinery, and it rents mud and other pumps. Waters Equipment is another source for pump rental.

Get oil drilling supplies for your company

Keep your inventory of oil drilling supplies up so you can keep on going. Necessary oil drilling supplies for your company include items like casing heads, various kinds of spools for casing, spacers, adapters as well as hardware that will let you find oil, no matter the harshness of the environment.

I recommend: Best Way Oil Field has an impressive inventory list that includes a wide range of spools and adapters. APS Technology has both sensor technology as well as electromechanical hardware that function just as well in the Arctic as on land.

Get oil drilling rigs for on and offshore drilling

There is a range of oil drilling rigs that are available to rent or to buy. Packages are available that manufacturers guarantee will work from the moment they hit the field.

I recommend: One company known for their oil drilling rigs is Service King MFG. Patriot Mechanical Handling has offshore drilling equipment such as marine cranes and subsea handling equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Take your time exploring the options available for you when you seek oil drilling supplies. You might be able to save your company money by buying new and renting your equipment.

The oil industry, both foreign and domestic, can pull in billions of dollars each year with the best oil drilling equipment on the market. But the best equipment is not enough. Companies also need the best trained professionals to operate the oil drilling machinery.

There are many options for education and training in drilling rig equipment. The best way to get familiar with the equipment is to train for both general operation and specific functions of different types of equipment found on oil drilling rigs. You can find training opportunities like:

1. Attending courses at a center that teaches all aspects of using a drilling machine.

2. Choosing online courses for some of your education.

3. Working as an apprentice or intern on an oil rig for additional experience.

Action Steps
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Choose programs specific to the petroleum drilling equipment you want to use

There are hundreds of different positions you can take when working on an offshore oil rig, so there are many different training courses available for learning your specific trade as a floorhand, derrickhand or forklift operator on a rig, among other positions.

I recommend: The High Plains Technology Center provides different drilling programs, depending on the type of certification you want to receive. Parker Drilling Company is another place where you can get comprehensive training in many areas of oil drilling and equipment operation.

Prepare for a certification test that qualifies you to use oil drill equipment

There are many entry level positions on offshore rigs. But to control and work with offshore drilling equipment, you must get specific certifications, as well as safety training for the kinds of hazards you'll find on a rig.

I recommend: The University of Louisiana offers courses on marine survival training, which is essential and in many cases required for working with equipment on an offshore oil rig. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides comprehensive information on safety procedures in the offshore oil industry.

Join associations that help prepare you for work on drilling oil rigs

If you have no previous experience on an oil rig, it may be tough to find a job at first, even if you have all the necessary training. Getting to know others in the industry and networking with professionals can help you find a job and also be notified of changes in certifications and refresher courses.

I recommend: The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) will help you network, and provides comprehensive training and certification programs. The American Petroleum Institute (API) is another organization that can provide you with insight, training and news in the oil industry. Its certifications are recognized worldwide.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A combination of training for oil drilling machines through both online and in-house courses can save you time and money when earning your certification to work on an oil rig.

Working on a drilling rig can be a dangerous task. Between moving parts, heavy machinery and poor environmental conditions, any number of items can turn a normal work day into a more hazardous one. Oil drilling equipment manufacturers, the government and employers all work together to try to improve the safety and working conditions on petroleum drilling equipment.

Anyone who operates a drilling rig should have a safety plan in effect. Everyone on the job site should be familiar with the procedures in the plan. The plan should cover:

1. Safety precautions to use as the drilling rig is set up.

2. Safe procedures for the day-to-day operations of the oil drilling machinery.

3. Safety precautions for tearing down and moving the drilling machine.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get familiar with general safety practices for drilling equipment

The United States government and state governments have safety checklists for you to follow as you operate drilling equipment. A thorough knowledge of these safety practices can make the operation of your drilling equipment much safer.

I recommend: The United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a number of links that pertain to drilling equipment safety. You can find guidelines for the specific drilling rig you operate, and also safe procedures for rig maintenance and operation. Excalibur Drilling lists job expectations for its employees to ensure safety on drilling equipment. These guidelines are typical requirements just about anywhere.

Make safety training mandatory for work on your drilling equipment

Whether you purchase training manuals or have live training, each person on your payroll that goes on the job site should be familiar with safety practices. You can offer training videos or online training. Another option is to send one person for a training workshop and let them come back to offer drilling equipment safety training for your staff.

I recommend: The Association of Equipment Manufacturers offers a safety manual for directional tracking equipment for oil drilling machinery. This manual is a supplement to the safety procedure manual that came with your oil drilling equipment. Maritime Drilling Schools offers drilling safety manager training classes, as well as safety training for general work on offshore drilling equipment.

Stock safety equipment for work on drilling equipment

Know what your workers need to wear to operate the machinery safely. Keep that equipment on hand at all times. Make sure the workers wear their personal protection equipment, or PPE, at all times while on the drilling site.

I recommend: Get a checklist of common items of personal protection equipment for oil drilling rigs at the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health. Atlantic Drilling Supply stocks safety equipment for oil drill equipment.