Oil Field Pulling Unit: Where It's Used

An oil field pulling unit — also called a workover rig, a pulling unit, or a service rig — is the most common type of workover equipment in the oil and gas industry. It's used to pull tubing out of the well, run it back in, and do all kinds of well service and workover operations. If you're in the oil and gas industry, you've seen pulling units — they're everywhere there's well service work.

Where Pulling Units Are Used

Pulling units are used everywhere there's oil and gas production. You'll find them:

- At every well workover: Every time you need to pull tubing out of the well, or run it back in, you need a pulling unit. That's workover 101.
- At every pump change: Rod pumps wear out, and they need to be replaced. To change a pump, you have to pull the tubing, pull the rods, and replace the pump. That's what pulling units do.
- At every well completion: When a well is first completed, you need to run the tubing and the production equipment. Pulling units do that too.
- At every plug and abandonment: When a well is no longer producing, you have to plug it and abandon it. That requires pulling the tubing out, and cementing the well. Pulling units are used for that.

What Kinds of Jobs Can a Pulling Unit Do?

Pulling units are very versatile. They can do all kinds of well service jobs:

- Pulling and running tubing: This is the main job. Pull the tubing out, fix whatever needs fixing, and run it back in.
- Pulling and running rods: Rods connect the surface pumping unit to the downhole pump. They need to be pulled and replaced when they wear out.
- Pump changes: Pull the old pump out, run the new pump in.
- Tubing repairs: If the tubing is leaking or damaged, pull it out, fix the bad joints, and run it back in.
- Well fishing: If something fell down the well — a tool, a piece of pipe, a rod — you need to fish it out. Pulling units are used for that, with special fishing tools.
- Perforating: Pulling units can be used to run perforating guns down the well, to shoot holes through the casing.

Who Uses Pulling Units?

Pulling units are used by:

- Well service companies: Most well service companies have a fleet of pulling units. They provide workover and well service to oil companies. Most small oil companies don't own their own pulling units — they hire a service company to do it.
- Oil companies: Some big oil companies own their own pulling units, especially in remote areas where service companies are scarce.
- Independent operators: Some small independent operators own their own pulling units, especially if they have a lot of wells in a small area. It can be cheaper to own your own equipment than to hire a service company every time.

FAQ

Q: How big is a pulling unit?
A: Pulling units come in different sizes, measured by their pulling capacity. The most common size is a 500,000 lb pulling unit — it can pull 500,000 pounds of tubing. Bigger units can pull 1 million pounds or more, for deep wells.