Nabors

Technology


Nabors continues to develop and implement technology that makes our operations safer and more efficient while simultaneously reducing our environmental footprint.

Safety
Reducing employee exposure to hazards is essential in the Nabors corporate culture. Since handling tubulars has always been one of the biggest hazards on a drilling rig, new and refurbished Nabors rigs are equipped with automated pipe handling equipment which is playing a key role in reducing the overall number of incidents. Nabors continues to develop a more fully automated pipe racking system which will be internally manufactured by our subsidiary company Canrig. It will further reduce crew exposure to pipe handling while also enhancing drilling efficiency.

Performance
Performance-enhancing technology is giving Nabors a competitive advantage in the markets we serve. This is particularly true as we develop and deploy products and services that improve rate of penetration, a major objective for customers. Canrig products like the ROCKIT® system, which improves toolface orientation when directional drilling, and REVIT system, which reduces problems that retard ROP, are playing key roles in enhancing this important metric.

Nabors is also utilizing reverse circulation center discharge drilling in Canada, a process that reduces formation damage. This eliminates the stimulation required to repair the damage and the associated risk to surface water aquifers. A long reach version of this technology holds the promise of drilling to 50,000 feet which would allow a more economical land rig to reach oil and gas reservoirs more than a mile offshore.

Automation
Nabors continues to invest in automating the drilling process. A work in progress is a design for a more fully automated land rig. Products like the DRILLSMART automatic driller allow more remote monitoring of the drilling process and are laying the groundwork for the development of rigs that require fewer people at the well site, with attendant risk reduction.

Environment Enhancing
Nabors has recently introduced the PACE®-X rig, perhaps the most environmentally responsible rig ever constructed. It moves quickly and easily from well-to-well when drilling on a pad, shortening the drilling cycle and the attendant environmental impact. It can also switch from using diesel to field gas, reducing both emissions and the truck traffic associated with fuel replenishment while improving operational economics.