workover rig using foam

[Huh?]

 

[Mr. H.]

Sweet!

Looks like an old photo. Maybe early 80's. Appalachia?

Exxon experimented with foam drilling/workover back then.

 

[Huh?]

Sweet!

Looks like an old photo. Maybe early 80's. Appalachia?

Exxon experimented with foam drilling/workover back then.

Nailed it pretty close on the time frame...I was a Drilling Foreman for Chevron at the time and on my way to the rig I passed this workover cleanout where they were using foam...San Joaquin Valley in CA...somewhere south of Lost Hills if memory serves.

 

[Mr. H.]

Those were the days.

That's some balls-out humping.

I was working on a pulling unit when a high-pressure hose let loose on us. It must have been 15 degrees cold outside. We freaked, then laughed our asses off. I miss that shit.

 

[Huh?]

Lol...my first night out was on a drilling rig in Colorado on a cold icy night...laying down drill pipe/running casing...we had just finished running the casing and Halliburton was cementing...we had started tearing out the BOPE and they sent me up after a wrench...I started up the steps just as Halliburton was blowing out their hose that was pointed out the steps and being a total worm had no clue what they were up to...I got hit square in the chest when they kicked in their pump...knocked me back about 15 feet and everybody started laughing their asses off.

Yeah, I miss some of it too.

 

[Mr. H.]

I'm behind a desk now. I learned more out in the field than I ever will here.

People don't know. They want cheap oil but they don't care how or where we get it.

I risked my life on rhe rig, they risked nothing. It's like a godamn war. I'm getting tired of fighting.

 

[Huh?]

I came up through the school of scrub brush engineering...we had some of the book learnin' types at Chevron for Drilling Foremen too...I remember one of them who was talking to the rig tool pusher about when the rig was off our time and on the drilling company time for the rig move...the tool pusher told him from the time they lay the kelly down until they pick it back up it's on him...our "educated idiot" asked him, "What's a Kelly?"

I 'bout shit...too funny.

I was lucky...only broke a few fingers...did smash my thumb pretty good one night up in the derrick...snowin' and blowin'...the driller needed to get the drill pipe back in the hole so he tossed me the keys to his car and told me I'd have to drive myself to the hospital...they didn't call us roughnecks for nothin'.

 

[Mr. H.]

Actual question from Chevron operations manual:

"Find the kelly in each of the illustrations below"-

 

[Huh?]

...gotta love it.