Will “Directional Drill Operator” be Automated?

Core Skills & Abilities

• Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.

• Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.

• Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.

• Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.

• Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells.

• Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.

• Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.

• Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.

• Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.

• Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.

• Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.

• Plug observation wells, and restore sites.

• Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.

• Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.

• Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells.

• Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.

• Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.

• Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.

• Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.

• Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps.