Innovators in Rig Design

Innovation and continuous improvement are ingrained in our corporate culture and the evolution of our rig design reflects this philosophy. We continually monitor industry developments throughout the world, seeking to adapt and implement technological advances that translate into costs savings and performance improvements.

We have significant experience in the design and construction of new drilling rigs. Our rig designs incorporate elements that increase operating efficiency, allowing us to maintain the lead through performance gains while reducing operating costs. With each new construction program, our rig design evolves, while retaining substantial similarities that enable us to deploy our workforce flexibly and minimize costs for inventory and spares.

Our rig design was developed internally and incorporates a number of design elements that increase operating efficiency. The modifications we make allow us to maintain the lead through performance gains while reducing capital and operating costs. Some of these innovations include:

• Developed Quad Pad technology (proprietary rig moving system)
• Constructed first telescopic triple in Canada, which moves and rigs up in under 40% of the time of rigs of comparable size and rating
• Incorporation of a chemical shearer that mixes and shears drilling fluids, resulting in savings on mud products
• Introduced drilling technology and design modifications that have been widely adopted by industry as standard practice

Quad Pad/Octi Pad 

Stoneham's proprietary rig moving system for use in pad drilling is a good example of the way we look for innovative ways to improve efficiency.

Known as the Quad Pad (i.e., four wells) and the Octi Pad (i.e., eight wells), this technology was developed in partnership with EnCana Corporation, with whom we share the patent. The design allows the contractor to drill up to four wells (Quad Pad) or eight wells (Octi Pad) from one surface location using only hydraulic rams to reposition the rig. The benefits of this technology innovation include:

• Uses existing industry-standard rig design for accessibility and competitiveness
• Allows the drilling of up to eight wells moving only substructure
• Well-suited for heavy oil and coal bed methane projects where multiple wells from one location are desired
• Eliminates the need for and cost of specialized rig moving equipment
• Increases flexibility to move anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• Provides stable platform for drilling rig on soft locations
• Reduces repositioning time to approximately 45 minutes, compared with 12 to 35 hours
• Eliminates the need to remove drill pipe from a standing position in the derrick while moving between well centres. At 3,000-metre depths, the savings to the client are 12 + hours
• Reduces clients' drilling costs by as much as 17%