The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of replacing diesel with natural gas as a fuel source for modern drilling rigs. More specifically, this thesis (1) establishes a control baseline by examining operational characteristics (response, fuel usage, and cost) of an existing diesel-powered land rig during the drilling of a well in the Haynesville Shale; (2) estimates operational characteristics of a natural gas engine under identical conditions; and (3) draws a comparison between diesel and natural gas engines, determining the advantages and disadvantages of those fuel sources in drilling applications. Results suggest that diesel engines respond to transient loads very effectively because of their inherently higher torque, especially when compared with natural gas engines of a similar power rating. Regarding fuel consumption, the engines running on diesel for this study were more efficient than on natural gas. On a per-Btu basis, the natural gas engines consumed nearly twice as much energy in drilling the same well. However, because of the low price of natural gas, the total cost of fuel to drill the well was lowered by approximately 54%, or 37,000 USD. Based on the results, it is possible to infer that the use of natural gas engines in drilling environments is feasible, and in most cases, an economical and environmental advantage. First, when compared with diesel, natural gas is a cleaner fuel with less negative impact on the environment. Second, fuel cost can be reduced by approximately half with a natural gas engine. On the other hand, natural gas as a fuel becomes less practical because of challenges associated with transporting and storing a gas. In fact, this difficulty is the main obstacle for the use of natural gas in drilling environments. In conclusion, because of its minimal drawback on operations, it is recommended that in situations where natural gas is readily available near current market prices, natural gas engines should be utilized because of the cost savings and reduced environmental impact. In all other cases, particularly where transport and storage costs encroach on the cost benefit, it may still be advantageous to continue powering rigs with diesel because of its ease of use.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:tamu.edu/oai:repository.tamu.edu:1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-12-10359 |
| Date | 2011 December 1900 |
| Creators | Nunn, Andrew Howard |
| Contributors | Beck, Fredrick E. |
| Source Sets | Texas A and M University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
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