Land Drilling Rigs: Where They're Used and What They Do

Land drilling rigs are the workhorses of the onshore oil and gas industry. They're the big drilling rigs you see in oilfields all over the world — in Texas, in the Middle East, in Russia, in China, and everywhere else there's onshore oil and gas production. Land drilling rigs come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have the same job: drill wells for oil and gas.

Where Land Drilling Rigs Are Used

Land drilling rigs are used in every onshore oil-producing region in the world:

- North America: The Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, the Bakken in North Dakota, the Eagle Ford in Texas, the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, and the oil sands in Alberta. North America has the most active onshore drilling industry in the world.
- Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Iran. The Middle East has some of the largest oil fields in the world, and they need lots of drilling rigs to develop them.
- Russia and the Caspian: West Siberia, the Volga-Ural region, the Caspian Sea. Russia has a huge onshore oil and gas industry.
- Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia. Asia Pacific has growing onshore oil and gas production.
- South America: Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia. South America has significant onshore oil reserves.
- Africa: Nigeria, Algeria, Libya, Angola. Africa has growing onshore oil and gas production.

What Kinds of Wells Do They Drill?

Land drilling rigs drill all kinds of wells:

- Exploration wells: These are the first wells drilled in a new area, to find out if there's oil or gas there.
- Development wells: These are the wells you drill once you've found oil or gas, to develop the field and produce it.
- Infill wells: These are additional wells drilled in an existing field, to increase production and recover more oil.
- Workover and re-entry wells: These are wells that are drilled again, to deepen them, sidetrack them, or improve production.

Modern Land Drilling Rigs

Modern land drilling rigs are very different from the rigs of 20 or 30 years ago. They're bigger, more powerful, more automated, and more efficient. They have top drives instead of kelly drives, walking systems instead of rig moves, computerized control systems, and air-conditioned crew cabins. They drill faster, safer, and with fewer people than ever before.

But the basic idea is the same — you set up the rig on a well pad, drill the well, then move the rig to the next location and do it all over again. That's the cycle of onshore drilling.

FAQ

Q: How much does a land drilling rig cost per day?
A: Onshore drilling rigs cost $15,000 to $50,000 per day to operate, including crew, fuel, and equipment. The rate depends on the size of the rig and the market. In a hot drilling market, rates go up. In a slow market, they go down.