Wheel-type Workover Rigs: Mobile and Versatile
A wheel-type workover rig is a workover rig mounted on a wheeled chassis — either a truck chassis or a trailer chassis. It's the most common type of workover rig in the world, because it's mobile, versatile, and cost-effective. Wheel-type workover rigs are used in every onshore oilfield, from Texas to the Middle East to Russia.
Where Wheel-type Workover Rigs Are Used
Wheel-type workover rigs are used everywhere there's onshore oil and gas production. They service wells in:
- North America: Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Alberta, and more. The US and Canada have the most mature onshore oil and gas industry, and the most workover rigs.
- Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, and more. The Middle East has some of the largest oil fields in the world, and they need lots of workover rigs to keep them producing.
- Russia and the Caspian: Russia has a huge onshore oil and gas industry, with lots of workover activity.
- South America: Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, and more. South America has growing onshore oil and gas production, and demand for workover services is increasing.
- Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, and more. Asia Pacific has growing oil and gas production, and workover rigs are in demand.
What Kinds of Work Do They Do?
Wheel-type workover rigs handle all kinds of well maintenance and repair jobs:
- Pulling and replacing downhole pumps.
- Perforating new zones to increase production.
- Acidizing and fracturing to stimulate the formation.
- Fishing — retrieving broken or stuck equipment from downhole.
- Casing repair and well integrity work.
- Plugging and abandoning wells that are no longer producing.
Why Wheel-type Is the Most Popular
Wheel-type workover rigs are popular for a reason. They're mobile — you can drive them from well to well on public roads. They're cost-effective — they're cheaper to buy and operate than larger rigs. And they're versatile — they can handle most onshore workover jobs. For most workover service companies, a wheel-type rig is the first rig they buy.
FAQ
Q: How deep can a wheel-type workover rig work?
A: Most wheel-type workover rigs can handle wells up to 3,000-4,000 meters deep. That covers most onshore oil and gas wells. Deeper wells need larger, heavier rigs — usually skid-mounted or semi-submersible.