A meager attempt to explain work.

I don't think I've actually written anything since I've started going on jobs. Well, one job, to be precise. D&M goes out when the drilling begins and stays out until the job is finished. The thing is, even though they are in charge of/monitor all the drilling tools, they are not always busy. There are different stages to drilling wells. There is the initial prepping, then drilling, cleaning the well, pulling out, cementing...and then drilling another section. Wells are drilled in sections because different rock formations are prevalent in different layers of the earth. The drilling mud that is circulated down into/throughout the well is used to bring up chips, cool down equipment, power the tools, and finally, to stabilize the well and keep the formation together while drilling is going on, so no fracturing occurs in the walls of a well. However, because different formations occur at different levels of a well, varieties of mud at different pressures need to be used. Thus, a well is drilled in different sections so the mud can be changed out, added to, etc. That is my understanding, at least. The thing is, D&M engineers (also called, MWD's and LWD's) are out there throughout the entire well drilling process, even if no drilling is going on, there is always at least one to two engineers in the Schlumberger unit which is about 50 feet from the rig that switch off every twelve hours. Twelve hours is a looonnggg time. Well, it really only feels like a long time if you don't come adequately prepared for the down time. I am getting really good at crossword puzzles, looking up useless stuff online, reading, and facebooking. I have also chatted enough with the directional driller (the guy who is the head honcho of drilling on the rig) to know his kids, their names, what they like to do in their spare time, his dog's name and that she is pretty cute (yellow lab), as well as the fact that he owns a cabin in the woods and gets harrassed by bears a lot. The people are all pretty nice to me. By people, I mean guys, as I am the only female (besides the cook who is 50) that is currently out at the rig site. So of course they are going to be nice to the only girl. :D They answer all my questions, take me to check out cool places on the rig, and chat with me when they aren't doing stuff.
It's not like I am bored all the time, though. I have learned how to depth track, create reports, read the 16 graphs that are all moving simulatenously and know what they mean. I have also learned how to prep the tools before they begin drilling, what real troubleshooting is, and why geologists and mud engineers are so important. Yes, I said mud engineer. That's how important the mud really is to drilling operations. The one that works nights with us is named Jeremy, and I have also learned how to take resistivity measurements whenever he brings in samples. Cool fact: resistivity is not the same thing as resistance. I definitely did not know this until the MWD that I work with explained it to me. During the "night" shift (though it is always light) I work with a 23 yr. old engineer named Bill who is pretty nice for a human being. On days, two engineers named Eddy and Andy work, both are also very nice. Since D&M is such a small group in Schlumberger, they are pretty laidback and generally close-knit. I am actually kind of sad because the guys that work on the tools in the shop traded out with their replacements and went home, as they work 1 on, 1 off. I will not see them for 3 more weeks because our weeks off and on will not collide until then. :(
So, anyway, what I have been doing for the past week is working 12 hour night shifts and sleeping during most of the day. It was pretty hard to get used to for the first couple of nights, but now it doesn't really bother me. I'm actually kind of grouchy right now because I am acclimated to working nights, and then today I found out that I can't go back on a rigsite until I get some stupid respirator training and ear testing. They forgot to train us in Anchorage, so we get to waste a day up here instead. It wouldn't be such a big deal, but we have to drive 30 miles away (which takes about 45 min-1 hour since the speed limit is 35-45 mph here) and then wait as everyone does whatever it is we have to do. We don't really know anything, they just tell us to bring a book. Woot. The other problem with us going is that I will have to be up all day tomorrow, which will not feel good because I slept all day today and now I am not tired (except for a ridiculous headache), thus I will be tired tomorrow. It is a non-fixable issue, so I will just deal with it and have fun regardless! At least I can hang out with the other interns for a long time!!!
Well, I might as well attempt to sleep. It probably won't be super hard, as I usually can fall asleep anytime, anywhere. Have a great Friday, guys!