The oilfield is a complex and demanding environment, requiring a variety of specialized tools to ensure efficient and safe operations. From drilling to production, each stage in the oil extraction process utilizes specific equipment designed for particular functions. Here, we catalog 25 common types of oilfield tools, including the essential tubing anchor catcher, or TAC.
1. Tubing Anchor / Tubing Anchor Catcher
A tubing anchor is crucial in preventing the tubing from moving up and down inside the well, stabilizing the production string during pumping operations. As a result, it ensures efficient energy transfer and prevents wear on other components. All tubing anchors hold the tubing in tension during normal pump cycles. However, some models only resist upward pressure. These include most types of quarter-turn tension anchors and hydraulic anchors. If the tubing parts due to corrosion or mechanical failure, a tension anchor can slip, letting the string fall. A TAC on the other hand features bidirectional slip engagement. It locks the tubing to the casing against both upward and downward forces.
Operator case studies have shown that deploying the right kind of TAC can boost production, mitigate gas interference and reduce scale. One such operator replaced the standard B2 anchors in three mature wells with Slimline® TACs from TechTAC®. The change allowed them to realize:
- 100% increase in production
- 15-25% greater pump fillage
- 25-30% rise in gas discharge
TechTAC offers a suite of tubing anchors designed to accommodate a wide range of downhole conditions and tool assemblies.
2. Drill Bit
The drill bit is the cutting tool attached to the bottom of the drill string. It cuts through rock formations to create the borehole. Different types of drill bits, like tricone and PDC bits, are used depending on the rock hardness.
3. Drill Pipe
Drill pipe is a heavy, hollow tube that rotates the drill bit and circulates drilling fluid. It forms the majority of the drill string and must withstand significant stress and pressure.
4. Drilling Rig
A drilling rig is the machine that drives the drill bit into the ground. The rig consists of multiple systems, including hoisting, rotating, and circulating systems, and is essential for starting a new well.
5. Blowout Preventer (BOP)
A blowout preventer is an oilfield tool that helps ensure safe operations. It does so by preventing the uncontrolled release of crude oil or natural gas from a well. The BOP seals the wellhead, maintaining control over the well during drilling operations.
6. Casing
Casing is a large-diameter pipe inserted into the borehole and cemented in place. It stabilizes the well, prevents contamination of groundwater and provides a conduit for drilling fluids.
7. Downhole Gas Separator
Gas interference can limit or even stop production on a well. A downhole gas separator helps prevent gas interference by removing entrained gas from crude before it enters the pump, and instead sending those gas bubbles up the annulus of the well.
8. Mud Pump
Mud pumps circulate drilling fluid (mud) down the drill string and back up the annulus, carrying cuttings to the surface and cooling the drill bit. Because of that, mud pumps are vital for maintaining pressure in the wellbore.
9. Shale Shaker
A shale shaker removes cuttings from the drilling fluid. It separates the solids from the liquid, allowing the system to recirculate clean fluid back into the well.
10. Centrifuge
Oilfield centrifuges separate fine solids from the drilling fluid. They spin the fluid at high speeds, forcing the solids to the outer edges so the system can remove them.
11. Drill Collar
A drill collar is a thick-walled tubular piece placed above the drill bit. When combined with the drill bit, the drill collar adds weight and stability to the bit to help it penetrate rock formations and maintain verticality.
12. Wellhead
The wellhead is the equipment at the surface of the well that provides structural and pressure-containing interface for the drilling and production equipment.
13. Christmas Tree
A Christmas tree is an assembly of valves, spools and fittings used to control the flow of oil and gas from the well. The completion crew installs the Christmas tree on top of the wellhead after drilling is complete.
14. Downhole Motor
A downhole motor, or mud motor, is used in directional drilling. Rig crews place it in the drill string to rotate the bit independently of the drill pipe rotation, allowing for precise control of the borehole direction.
15. Wireline
Wireline refers to a cable used to lower and raise tools and equipment in the well. Workover rig crews use it for logging, well intervention and maintenance operations.
16. Logging Tools
Logging tools measure the properties of geological formations. They provide data on the rock and fluid characteristics, which is crucial for decision-making during drilling and production.
17. Perforating Gun
A perforating gun creates holes in the casing and cement to allow oil or gas to flow into the wellbore. It is a key tool in well completion.
18. Packers
Packers isolate different sections of the wellbore. They seal the annulus between the casing and tubing, preventing fluid migration and enabling controlled production.
19. Choke Manifold
A choke manifold controls the flow rate and pressure of the drilling fluid. It consists of multiple chokes and valves, allowing operators to regulate well pressure during drilling and testing operations.
20. Swivel
A swivel is a mechanical device that allows rotation of the drill string without twisting the hose. It is critical for smooth drilling operations.
21. Hoisting System
The hoisting system raises and lowers the drill string, casing and other equipment. It includes components like the drawworks, traveling block, and crown block.
22. Sucker Rods
Sucker rods are long, slender steel rods threaded at both ends. They are screwed together to form a “rod string” that connects the surface pumping unit to the downhole pump, mechanically transferring the up-and-down motion needed to lift the oil.
23. Fishing Tools (e.g., Overshot)
In the oilfield, when a tool breaks, a pipe drops, or debris gets stuck downhole, it is called a “fish.” Fishing tools catch and recover these items from thousands of feet below. One example is an overshot, which the fishing crew lowers over the top of a dropped pipe string to grip it firmly and pull it back to the surface.
24. Production Tubing
Production tubing is the narrow, continuous string of pipe run inside the casing through which hydrocarbons travel from the reservoir to the surface. It is designed to withstand the corrosive elements of the produced fluids and gases over long periods.
25. Coiled Tubing
Unlike rigid, jointed pipe strings, coiled tubing is a long, continuous spool of flexible steel pipe, often thousands of feet long. Rig crews can reel coiled tubing into an active, pressurized wellbore without having to shut the well down, making it a go-to tool for rapid well intervention tasks like cleanouts and chemical injections.
This short list of oilfield tools is just a glimpse into the vast array of equipment used in the oil patch. Each one plays a vital role in ensuring that drilling and production operations are conducted efficiently and safely, ultimately leading to successful oil and gas extraction.
