Swivel (drill rig)

A Swivel is a mechanical device used on a drilling rig that hangs directly under the traveling block and directly above the kelly drive, that provides the ability for the kelly (and subsequently the drill string) to rotate while allowing the traveling block to remain in a stationary rotational position (yet allow vertical movement up and down the derrick) while simultaneously allowing the introduction of drilling fluid into the drill string.

See Drilling rig (petroleum) for a diagram of a drilling rig.

Old cable tool, drilling rig

A method of drilling whereby an impact tool or bit, suspended in the well from a steel cable, is dropped repeatedly on the bottom of the hole to crush the rock. The tool is usually fitted with some sort of cuttings basket to trap the cuttings along the side of the tool. After a few impacts on the bottom of the hole, the cable is reeled in and the cuttings basket emptied, or a bailer is used to remove cuttings from the well. The tool is reeled back to the bottom of the hole and the process repeated.

Roughneck

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Roughneck is a term for a person whose occupation is hard manual labor. The term applies across a number of industries, but is most commonly associated with the workers on a drilling rig. The ideal of the hard-working, tough roughneck has been adopted by several sports teams who use the phrase as part of their name or logo.