here's what I missed out on, can't make it out but seems to be $7000 for 2 weeks pay? :
Posted on 01/01/2015 8:48:12 AM PST by thackney
The U.S. shale boom has drawn thousands of workers to the remote oil fields of states like North Dakota and Texas, enticing laborers with lucrative pay packages and flooding sparsely populated towns with new residents.
That’s been the pattern since 2007, but analysts say labor needs for drilling companies could fall off dramatically as crude oil prices continue to plunge.
On Tuesday, a Redditor under the screen name “oil_trash,” who said he was a flowback operator in the Midland Basin region of Texas, started an “Ask Me Anything” thread on the social networking site. For several hours, Reddit users filled the thread with more than 3,000 comments, asking about life in the oil fields and the author’s worries over the oil crash.
Below are a few of his most interesting responses:
On how the oil price crash has affected job security for oil patch workers:
“So far it hasn’t, but I’m saving money like crazy because I’m sure it will in the next few months.”
“Smaller companies are laying people off, but so far there is still work. Companies don’t want to stop yet because if oil miraculously goes back up in the next few months they want to hit the ground running.”
On how roughnecks spend their paychecks:
“Yeah, I bought 2 new cars the same day once I started making money. $90,000 in one day (with a loan of course). Not the best decision. Especially since I drive them maybe once a month. I’m doing pretty good saving now though. I just don’t spend $100 a day on steak, lobster, etc.”
“Worst part is I have only put 3,500 miles on my car since I got it because I work so much.”
On oil field accidents:
“Nothing too major. I’ve seen coil tubing break open a couple of times and ran like hell. Luckily it didn’t snap clean through or it would be ugly. I’ve seen people lifting equipment that weighed many thousands of pounds with a s—– strap that ended up snapping and came 4 feet away from smashing straight onto someone. Had a 15 foot chain fall from 50 feet and miss me by a foot. Minor s—. Seen minor injuries like broken bones, wounds needing stitches, etc. I did work with a few guys missing fingers.”
Oh whether oil field work is worth pay:
“I think so. The job isn’t for everybody. I’m on call 24/7 and haven’t had a single day off in about 3 months (except Christmas, but only because our customers didn’t have anything going on). But my job is really easy most of the time. I sit in my truck watching movies, playing games, etc.”
On workplace safety:
It depends who you are working for. Oxy will s— a brick if you have a beard, don’t wear (personal protective equipment), and they always have safety meetings. Smaller companies don’t tend to care as much.
On how he’d feel about having a fracking well near his home:
The problem I would have wouldn’t be fracking. It would be the drilling because nasty s— comes out of wells like (hydrogen sulfide) (sometimes, not on every well or in every location). If I had my house within a mile of the well, F— no. But like I said, that’s just because of the hazards of the location. Deadly gases, fires, etc. If my family wouldn’t be in danger I wouldn’t give a f—. For the record, I speak out against drilling near homes. There are too many hazards to be risking people’s safety who didn’t sign up for it. Again, that’s because of the s— coming out of the well and not what’s going in.
On the environmental debate over fracking and drilling for oil:
I think both (environmentalists and the oil industry) have legitimate points and concerns. Can the oilfield cause massive disasters? Absolutely, we’ve seen it happen multiple times. But that’s not because the technology is flawed, it’s human error. And those human errors should be pointed out and we should learn how to avoid them in the future.
On how other roughnecks feel as the price of oil has fallen:
A lot of my coworkers aren’t worried because “it always slows down in the winter”. And no matter how many times I tell them that this isn’t normal, no matter how many articles I pull up, and no matter how many graphs I show them they continue to deny it. They are constantly talking about the new guns, cars, boats, etc.
BTTT .....thanks !!
This is not new. I believe Hydro-slotting perforation technology has been used since 1980.
There was a process known as “water flooding” way back in the 1960s when I was living in Midland-Odessa. Don’t know how that corresponds to fracking or if they are completely different processes.
Also, re: accidents, when you shook hands in the oil fields, you never knew how many fingers might be missing on the hands you would shake. I worked summers in the oil patch while in high school and college. Some of the best days of my life.
The example showed cuts made in casing and the formation in a vertical wellbore, and the cuts will likely enhance production (greater surface area open to the wellbore) but not induce fractures deeper in the formation like a frac should.
Work in the oil patch seems to be pretty hard work: What made those the best days of your life?
Seems to me like those days are over for most as the price of oil is in a free fall which will lead to massive layoffs imo.
oil is around $53 today .
Hydraulic Fracturing is part of completing the well, or stimulating the production of the well, not part of the production (oil flow).
Water Flood, CO2 flood and similar enhanced oil recovery methods are done typically years later. Once the oil flow slows down enough, flood or other EOR methods are used to push more oil from the edges of the field via injection towards the flowing well more in the center. Other EOR methods exist as well.
Prices for oil were even lower in late 2008 early 2009.
Boom and Bust cycles are normal in the oil industry. It does not mean it is over, just another slow down, for now, until it rise back again.
Thanks for that link!
this won't be the same . it will go down lower and stay down much longer. will it ever get back up to these boom levels again ? NO it's over. the boom in Permian basin is over, Eagle ford, Midlands, N Dakota, OVER.
Never say never. Low oil prices are not going to keep demand down.
2008 the price of oil very briefly stayed down then shot back up again very quickly . Then oil went down and then quickly shot up , hardly a trend. So oil’s been mostly up for a long time.
This won’t be the same . The oil price will go down lower and stay down much longer. Will it ever get back up to these boom levels again ? NO it’s over. The boom in the Permian basin is over, Eagle ford, Midlands, N Dakota, OVER.
‘zactly, Oil field prayer: Please dear Lord, give us another boom, I promise not to piss it away this time.
“OVER” huh?
darn missed out on all the fun. I wanted to go work there In San Antonio or Midland. guess I waited too long.
It will be back, maybe months, maybe years.
here's what I missed out on, can't make it out but seems to be $7000 for 2 weeks pay? :
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