Video cameras are becoming more common in derricks, on the rig floor, and around drill sites. Installations range from a small number of fixed cameras on a land rig to as many as 90 motorized cameras accompanying an automated drilling system on a semisubmersible.

Cameras provide additional security and can increase operator profitability by reducing operations downtime. Onsite video footage can be an excellent training aid, showing new recruits what takes place in a live oilfield environment as well as coaching advanced trouble-shooting.

Closed-circuit systems that transmit real-time data are well established, and providing video footage along with streaming data is a natural step.

Starting small, leasing

Dallas-Fort Worth-based Drillsite Broadcast Co. provides live, streaming video services to operators and drilling contractors. The company leases high-resolution video systems for drill sites, transmits activity via satellite, and provides real-time coverage viewable over the Internet. Its proprietary Remote Drillsite Broadcast System (RDBS) allows operators and investors to monitor operations through live video bundled with data feeds, provided through a secure content delivery network. President and CEO Michael Dwinnell said that having cameras at the drillsite increases accountability, safety, and security. A typical installation on a land rig includes three cameras on the rig floor providing views of the driller’s console, the rotary table, and the v-door, with a fourth camera near the edge of the drilling pad to provide a full-site view, but installations are fully customizable and can include additional cameras.

Founded in 2001 and formally launched in 2007, Drillsite Broadcast’s initial customers were small independent energy companies based in Texas and Oklahoma, such as Alfaro Oil and Gas LLC (San Antonio, Texas), Aruba Petroleum Inc. (Plano, Texas), EnerMax Inc. (Hurst, Texas), LP Operating LLC (Comfort, Texas), and Texakoma Operating LP (Plano, Texas).

Bret Boteler, founder and president of EnerMax, told E&P, “Our financial partners absolutely love to watch their wells being drilled, and I can watch the rig floor and gauges without having to call the rig site for information.” EnerMax has used the RDBS for several wells, each contracted separately. Boteler said they have four stationary cameras — two on the rig floor and two others on mud pits, pumps, or providing an overview of the site. “It’s a great tool,” he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever drill another well without it.”

LP Operating has a prominent “Well Cams” link from the company’s homepage that provided live feed from the recently drilled Comanche Ranch #1 well, in Runnels County, Texas. Company president Monte Lang told E&P that having four onsite cameras was a wonderful tool that frequently saved him the 2 ½-hour drive to location, and he definitely plans to use the services again. He and LP’s working interest partners also benefited from access to drilling data from the tool pusher’s view through the data hub portal run by Pason Systems Corp.

Dwinnell said the cameras and housings are robust, withstanding West Texas dust, South Texas heat, and -27ºF (-32.7ºC) operations in the Williston basin.

Permanent systems

Drill-View Video Systems, founded in 2003 in Baton Rouge, La., predominantly sells video camera systems to rig owners. The company has installed as many as 32 cameras on a deepwater drillship, but most of its business is outfitting land rigs for big US drilling contractors. It offers both fixed-position cameras and pan-tilt-zoom systems with motors. A two-wire, daisy-chain configuration provides multiple-camera flexibility with RS485 addressable positioning.

Company president Keith Lear told E&P that his company started with analog camera systems in the derrick, watching the top drive; the company’s flagship system is the Eagle, with a single camera trained on the derrick’s racking board. “It’s become a safety issue,” he said.

Newer systems are digital, and Lear said his was the first company to offer touch screen controls, beginning in October 2009. The company runs 24/7, with six field technicians working in the US, Mexico, and Venezuela, and has exported systems to Russia, China, and the UAE.

Offshore

Permanent camera systems are more commonplace on high-end land rigs and most offshore rigs. Aker Solutions equips its advanced H-6e drilling rigs with the MH DrillView system interface, driven by the integrated Milestone IP video surveillance system. Last Mile Communication AS provides the software and components for the Milestone system (the “last mile” refers to the final leg delivering connectivity from a communications provider to a customer).

“The camera relieves us of the burden of memory.” – John Peter B