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Oil, Gas & Mining vocabulary · Drilling & Wells

Drilling rig

Meaning in oil, gas & mining, with examples

/ˈdrɪlɪŋ rɪɡ/nounCore term

In oil, gas & mining, drilling rig means: The complete set of machinery used to drill a well, including the tower, engines, pumps, hoisting system and the equipment that turns the drill pipe.

In Turkish: sondaj kulesi, sondaj makinesi, sondaj teçhizatı

How it is used

Usually shortened to 'rig'. People talk about land rigs and offshore rigs (jack-ups, semi-submersibles, drillships), rig count, rig time and day rate. Crews 'rig up' when they set up and 'rig down' when they dismantle before a rig move.

Example sentences

  1. The drilling rig will move to the next location once this well is finished.

  2. The day rate for the offshore drilling rig is the biggest cost in the well budget.

Common collocations

  • land drilling rig
  • offshore drilling rig
  • rig up
  • rig move
  • rig count
  • derrickThe tall steel tower on a drilling rig that holds the hoisting equipment used to raise and lower the drill string and casing.
  • drill stringThe long column of connected drill pipe, heavy collars and tools that runs from the rig down to the bit, turning it and carrying drilling mud to the bottom of the hole.
  • drill bitThe cutting tool at the bottom of the drill string that breaks and crushes rock as it turns, making the hole deeper.
  • drilling mudA specially mixed fluid pumped down the drill pipe and back up the hole to cool the bit, carry rock cuttings to the surface and control well pressure.
  • platformA large structure standing on the seabed or floating at sea that holds the equipment and living quarters needed to drill wells or produce oil and gas offshore.

More terms: Drilling & Wells

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