Important Information About Oilfield Tongs

Oilfield tongs are tools used in the drilling of oil wells. While much larger in size, they work much like pipe wrenches that plumbers use.

These oilfield tongs can be used to grip a casing (the pipe that is inserted into an oil well to prevent cave in) as well as the drilling string. The drilling string is made of heavy duty pipe called collars that are attached to the drill motor at one end and the cutting head at the other end.

As the well is drilled, more collars must be added to the drilling string to allow the cutting head to dig deeper in the earth. Mud is forced into the center of the collars as the cutting head drills through the earth. The mud mixes with the soil and broken rocks to make a slurry that pumps to the top of the hole.

An on site geologist will test the material that is being brought back to the surface. He will classify the rocks and help to know if the well has been drilled deep enough and the likelihood of finding more oil at a deeper depth. In addition, he will check for indications of gas pockets that might cause a blowout.

The collars that are added to the drilling string are each thirty feet in length. According to the capability of the rig, two to four lengths of collars are added each time there is a need to add more pipe.

Any time there the drill moves through an unstable area, a casing must be installed. After installing the casing, the bit must be removed and replaced using a smaller bit. Each time the casing must be downsized, so must the bit for the next series of drilling. Thus it is important that the initial hole be large enough so that the downsizing does not bring the hole to a size so small that oil cannot be pumped from it. The final casing that is installed will be perforated in order to allow the oil to enter the casing of the well.

There is considerable pressure placed on the drilling string as it moves down into the earth. This can cause the threads to become tightly attached between collars on the drill string. Oilfield tongs can be used to take the collars back apart. Tongs are available in either manual or automatic. The are used in sets. One may be held in place with a chain while the other is used to loosen the collar.