Technical library / rigs A-Z

The complete rigs knowledge base.

Field-tested explanations, reference notes, glossary terms, rig facts, and calculators for understanding how drilling rigs are built, operated, moved, maintained, and controlled.

01Rig Systems

Hoisting, rotating, circulating, power, control.

 02Rig Types

Land rigs, jackups, semisubs, drillships.

 03Rig Roles

Who does what on a rig floor and why.

 04Basin Conditions

Regional geology, pressure, logistics, hazards.

 05Glossary

Technical definitions with plain-language context.

 06Tools

Downtime, rotation, day-rate, and field calculators.
Rig Systems

Understand the machine by system, not by buzzwords.

Every drilling rig does three core tasks: lift heavy tubulars, rotate or steer the drilling assembly, and circulate fluid to manage pressure and remove cuttings.

H

Hoisting system

Derrick, crown block, traveling block, drawworks, hookload, slips, and handling equipment.

 R

Rotating and steering

Top drive, rotary table, drill string, BHA, motors, RSS, MWD, and directional control.

 C

Circulation and mud

Mud pumps, pits, solids control, standpipe pressure, annulus flow, density, and rheology.

 W

Well control

BOPs, choke manifold, kick detection, shut-in procedure, barriers, and pressure control.
Weekly rig facts

Fast facts worth knowing before you go deeper.

Short technical notes that help readers build a correct mental model of rigs, wells, equipment, and operating constraints.

~52,000 ft

The Kola Superdeep Borehole remains deeper than any petroleum well in true vertical depth terms.

7,500 hp

Large AC land rigs can deliver enormous installed horsepower for pumps and hoisting systems.

30+ systems

A modern rig integrates power, hoisting, mud, control, safety, data, and pipe-handling systems.

2,000+ psi

Common BOP working-pressure classes climb far beyond standard surface operating pressures.

Latest updates

New reference notes.

Drilling rig at a worksite
Reading the Baker Hughes Rig Count

What the weekly rig count does and does not tell you.

 Industrial drilling equipment
Blowout preventers explained

How the BOP stack acts as the rig's final pressure barrier.

 Offshore drilling rig structure
Semisubmersible vs. drillship

Two deepwater rig types, compared by station-keeping and use case.
Glossary

Terms, definitions, and field context.

Use the glossary to move from acronym to operating meaning. Each term is written for readers who need the practical field interpretation, not just a dictionary sentence.

BOP

Blowout preventer, the stack of valves and rams that can seal the well.

 Spud

To begin drilling a well, when the bit first penetrates the ground.

 Top drive

A suspended motor that rotates the drill string directly from the mast.

 NPT

Non-productive time, when the rig is not progressing the well.

 Annulus

The space between the wellbore wall and pipe or between two pipe strings.

 Kick

An unintended influx of formation fluid into the wellbore.
Tools and calculators

Practical rig math, kept simple.

Open fast reference tools for common operating questions: downtime exposure, rotation planning, day-rate comparison, and downloadable field sheets.

Downtime calculatorEstimate NPT exposure from spread rate and delay. Day-rate calculatorCompare day rate, per diem, and rotation economics. Rotation calculatorPlan hitch length, rest days, and coverage windows. Rig move checklistDownload a field-ready checklist template.