Will AI Replace Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas?

Train crews, and introduce procedures to make drill work more safe and effective.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Observe pressure gauge and move throttles and levers to control the speed of rotary tables, and to regulate pressure of tools at bottoms of boreholes.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Count sections of drill rod to determine depths of boreholes.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Push levers and brake pedals to control gasoline, diesel, electric, or steam draw works that lower and raise drill pipes and casings in and out of wells.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Connect sections of drill pipe, using hand tools and powered wrenches and tongs.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Maintain records of footage drilled, location and nature of strata penetrated, materials and tools used, services rendered, and time required.

Routine cognitive or manual task with high vulnerability to automation.

Maintain and adjust machinery to ensure proper performance.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Start and examine operation of slush pumps to ensure circulation and consistency of drilling fluid or mud in well.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Locate and recover lost or broken bits, casings, and drill pipes from wells, using special tools.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Weigh clay, and mix with water and chemicals to make drilling mud.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Direct rig crews in drilling and other activities, such as setting up rigs and completing or servicing wells.

Complex problem-solving, strategic leadership, or high-empathy task requiring human judgment.

Monitor progress of drilling operations, and select and change drill bits according to the nature of strata, using hand tools.

Semi-structured cognitive task involving analysis, inspection, or monitoring.

Repair or replace defective parts of machinery, such as rotary drill rigs, water trucks, air compressors, and pumps, using hand tools.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Clean and oil pulleys, blocks, and cables.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Bolt together pump and engine parts, and connect tanks and flow lines.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Remove core samples during drilling to determine the nature of the strata being drilled.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Cap wells with packers, or turn valves, to regulate outflow of oil from wells.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Line drilled holes with pipes, and install all necessary hardware, to prepare new wells.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Position and prepare truck-mounted derricks at drilling areas specified on field maps.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.

Plug observation wells, and restore sites.

Semi-structured task combining routine and non-routine responsibilities.