the report presented is theoretical report that includes general descriptions of the

swabbing process and associated equipment. For greater benefits please resubmit your
report with more defined swab process (take for example your current well program;
after which job does the swabbing begin? what are the outcomes needee from this job?
and what the next job will be after termination of swab?)
Your report must be from drilling contractor point of view; I.e.; when rig crew start
preparing for the job? what are the tools supplied by Client? ... and so on.
Also you must report the exact equipment used for swab job in the rig you were
assigned to. I.e.; type of swab line, type of rope socket used, type of mandrel/jar, swab
cup used, saver head model.... etc.
For more assistance feel free to refer to your colleagues at rig S6. Also you can use some
support from Eng. Alam Eldin who will be arriving to rig S2 by today isa.
***********************
Driller operates the drilling rig to perform the routine tasks of driving the bit into the
ground as fast as safely possible and add pipe sections as they get deeper. He works for
the contracted drilling company.
The drilling engineer works for the oil company. He makes the decisions as to what
strategies to employ and He gets the information for formation evaluation - running logs
and getting service to log data. for formation evaluation (really the geologists' job).
He'll see that other operations - setting casing and cement, directional drilling, and depth
objectives are met. He makes decisions on approaches to solving problems like pressure
control, mud chemistry, loss circulation and other well problems. And make economic
decisions such as when to abandon the well if too many complications arise or to go
ahead and spend more money.
An analogy: The driller is like a truck driver and the drilling engineer is more like the
dispatcher telling him the route to take.
The dispatcher tells the truck driver the schedule and the drop-offs and cargo pickups
along the way. Makes sure the shippers and recipients are informed of the delivery times.
The driver has to follow the route but make decisions and adjust to minor detours along
the way, and stop regularly for gas, meals and rest stops - follows rules for hours driven
vs. sleep. He is responsible for the safety of the truck and cargo. He reports progress and
delays to the dispatcher.
Updated 4d ago View Upvotes Asked to answer by Anonymous
More Answers Below.
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Gus Kikuja
Gus Kikuja, I am a drilling consultant, joined the oil industry in 2003
96 Views Upvoted by Loring Chien, 40 years in the Oil and Gas exploration and
production industry
All good answers, I will try a different angle.
DRILLER
Background: usually starts as a roustabout and works his way up to driller
Company: drilling contractor, the owner of the rig that execute the drilling on behalf of
the oil operator (not all oil companies operates).
Main job description: physically execute drilling operations by operating the drilling
package (Top Drive System and others) and maanging the crew on the rig floor. He
follows the instructions of the oil company through his boss the Toolpusher. The job can
be fairly physical and hazardous, depending on equipment and operations.
Know-how: technical but practical knowledge of equipment and how to safely/effectively
operate it and operational steps. Drilling package, surface equipment in general, drilling
parameters, practical knowledge of drilling fluids, some knowledge of downhole
problems. Practical knowledge of well control equipment and operations.
Schedule: 12hr shifts, and 14, 21 or 28 days rotation.
Career: slowly progresses towards Toolpusher or OIM (offshore installation manager),
which are also demanding but entitles less physical work and more paperwork.

DRILLING ENGINEER
Background: BSc/MSc in engineering, occasionally has a different degree or no degree,
making up with several years of experience in the field and by being smarter than
average.
Company: typically works for and represents the client, meaning the oil operator. He
could also work for a service company if the oil company outsources engineering
services.
Main job description: main duties are planning, designing and supervising well
operations. He works also with contracts, logistics, costs and reporting among other
things. Loads of paperwork. Often he is jack of all trades, especially in small teams.
Know-how: engineering principles of all the sub-disciplines of drilling (casing design,
drilling fluid and hydraulics, directional drilling, cementing, etc.), practical knowledge of
operational steps and procedures, planning and design, optimization of schedule and
performances including drilling parameters, selection and application of suitable/new
technologies, good knowledge of all contractors and their services, good knowledge of
downhole problems (mud losses, stuck pipe, borehole stability problems, torque and drag
etc.) and their solution, well control (theoretical part). Versed in surface equipment,
although not as much as a driller.
Schedule: usually works at the base. During execution, he often acts as a operations
engineer supporting the rig team from the base, and goes to the rig for critical ops. Some
companies have a drilling engineer permanently on board (rotational schedule as for the
driller).
Career: some works as drilling engineers their all career, specializing further and
becoming consultants, i.e. Drilling Advisor. Others progress to management positions
within well operations, occasionally they make to it Country Manager or VP of
Operations.

Sometimes both figures are generically called drillers, although as you see they are very
different and far from being interchangeable.
Some operators have their young drilling engineers train briefly covering different roles
on the contractor side to better understand equipment and operations. I think that is very

effective.
Both figures are important however you cannot drill a well without a driller, the same
way you cannot build a building without the builders. The drilling engineer becomes
increasingly important in challenging wells, and focuses on well problems (mostly
downhole), quality, performances and costs.
Written 4d ago View Upvotes Asked to answer by Anonymous
Carlos Calad
Carlos Calad, Over thirty years experience in the Oil and Gas Industry
52 Views Upvoted by Loring Chien, 40 years in the Oil and Gas exploration and
production industry
Thanks for the A2A.
Drilling a well is a very complex process. It requires a lot of planning and continuos riskmanagement. A Well Plan is usually the map that describes how it been planned to
happen -i.e. to which depth you are going to drill to before you stop to set casing, what's
the mud weight, how many RPM's and WOB (Weight On Bit) you are going to use, etc.
The Well Plan is written by drilling engineers with input from geologists, petrophysics
and professionals from other disciplines.
The well is drilled using a drilling rig, usually a derrick with bunch of equipment to help
turn the drilling bit or preventing the well from blowing-out-. The driller is the one
executing the instructions and the leader on the rig floor (the derrick). So he will actually
apply the weight on the bit, rotate at the required RPMs, and maintain an eye pn everyone
and everything on the rig floor. They are experienced professionals who know how and
when react in front of any contingency or events not included in the Well Plan.
I believe drilling engineers gain a lot of insight from talking to drillers and many of them
have actually spent valuable time on the rig floor as drillers.
Written 18 Oct View Upvotes Asked to answer by Anonymous
Nick Privett
Nick Privett, BSPE, 1976
30 Views
The driller controls the operations of the rig. The drilling engineer designs & monitors
those operations.
Written 18 Oct Asked to answer by Anonymous
Matthew Barnett
Matthew Barnett, Working in Drilling and Mining industry since 8 years. Here to share
experience.
3 Views
Drilling engineer should know the drilling techniques and should have all the knowledge

about drilling, but a driller need not to know the technicalities of drilling.