How do nodding donkey oil pumps work?

The nodding donkey has a steel hammerhead hovering over the well, bobbing up and down to create suction in the hole, aided by a rotating counterweight. The method is effective on vertical wells that go straight down, but is less so when used on horizontal ones.

How does an oil rig work on land?

The process goes something like this: first you find an oil well. Then you fence off the land and build a rig. Next, you drill all the way down to wherever the oil well is. Once the hole has been drilled, you then pump liquids at high pressure levels to remove the oil from the ground.

Does oil rig float?

Simple physics. As with oil tankers, heavy load barges and cruise ships, deep sea oil rigs float according to basic physics. As the weight of the rig pushes downwards displaced water pushes upwards, thus keeping the structure afloat.

What is the difference between rig and barge?

They are floating offshore drilling vessels but it is not self-propelled. The drilling equipment is on the barge. It is generally towed to the location and then has its hull filled with water. A Submersible rig is a larger version of a posted barge and is capable of water depths of 18ft to 70ft.

What are oil drilling rigs called?

An oil platform, offshore platform, or offshore drilling rig is a large structure with facilities for well drilling to explore, extract, store, and process petroleum and natural gas that lies in rock formations beneath the seabed.

How does an old oil derrick work?

The classic oil derrick pump is known colloquially as a sucker rod pump, named for the plunger-like mechanics it uses to pump oil from underground wells up to the surface. It uses a series of gears and cranks to pump a rod up and down an oil well in a piston-like motion, although much slower.

How are oil derricks powered?

An electric or gas-driven engine rotates a counterweight, attached to an arm that moves a pivoting beam up and down. A cable at the opposite end pulls a rod assembly up, and drops it down again. A hollow chamber with a simple valve opens and fills each time the rod descends, then closes and lifts it up to the surface.