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A B
1 ledge a the first string set below the structural casing
2 slurry b a long square or hexagonal steel bar with a hole drilled
through the middle for a fluid path.
3 conductor c a narrow flat surface or shelf; especially one that projects
from a wall of rock
4 surface casing d the fluid, usually drilling mud, used to force

a cement slurry out of the casing string and into
the annulus.
5 unlatch e casing set to provide blowout protection, isolate water
sands, and prevent lost circulation. It also often provides
adequate shoe strength to drill into high-pressure transition
zones.
6 void f a fastening device that allows the thing fastened to turn aro
und freely upon it, especially to turn in a full circle
7 swivel g a binder, a substance that sets and hardens and can bind
other materials together
8 cement h an open space or a break in continuity; a gap.
9 kelly i a thin mixture of an insoluble substance, as cement, clay, or
coal with a liquid, as water or oil.
10 displacement j to unfasten or open by releasing the latch.
fluid

Pre-reading and while-reading tasks

3 Scan the text and answer the following questions.

- What do you know about drilling operations?
- Is drilling on the surface hole possible?
- What are normal drilling operations?
- What is the role of kelly during drilling?
- What does the weight indicator show?
- What function does the traveling block perform?
- Who is the derrickman?
- What function does the intermediate casing perform?
- Who is the operator?
- What is the intermediate liner?

NORMAL DRILLING OPERATIONS

A rig has a lot of equipment, and crew members have to put this equipment to
work to drill a well. This section covers normal drilling operations. For our purposes,
normal drilling operations include (i) drilling the hole; (2) adding a new joint of pipe as the
hole deepens; (3) tripping the drill string out the hole to put on a new bit and running it back

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