Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has expedited the delivery of rigs and the handing over of a 2,000-HP land drilling rig to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Rajahmundry asset, in Bhimavaram, Rajahmundry, covering oil & gas prospects in the east and west Godavari Districts. It is a state-of-the-art indigenous oil rig with the latest and best in class features in the world. 2,000-HP rig can give a performance equal to a 3,000-HP traditional rig. This indigenous rig is being operated successfully, and it can drill up to 6,000 metres (6 km) deep into the earth.
As of now, the MEIL has supplied 10 land drilling rigs. While three of them are already operational, other seven rigs are in final stage of installation and commissioning and these rigs will be operational in 4-5 weeks across various onshore ONGC Fields.
At the same time, the MEIL has supplied first lot of five workover rigs to the Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Ankleshwar, Agartala and Shibsagar ONGC fields. These first lots of five rigs are ready to be operational. The second lot of five rigs are also under advanced stage of manufacturing.
The MEIL received an order for 47 rigs from the ONGC in a competitive bidding. Out of these, 20 are workover rigs, and 27 are land drilling rigs. The 20 workover rigs include 12 of 50-MT capacity, four rigs are of 100 MT, and the remaining four have a capacity of 150 MT each. Of the 27 land drilling rigs, two are mobile hydraulic rigs with a capacity of 1,500 HP, and 17 are AC VFD rigs with 1,500 HP capacity. Six others are AC VFD rigs having a capacity of 2,000 HP, and two others are HT VFD rigs of 2,000 HP.
MEIL will be manufacturing and supplying all the rigs to the ONGC assets in the Assam (Sibsagar, Jorahat), Andhra Pradesh (Rajahmundry), Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Ankaleshwar, Mehasana and Cambay), Tripura (Agartala) and Tamil Nadu (Karaikal)
These rigs are built with full automation in order to reduce the downtime on account of safety & maintenance. These rigs are the first of their kind to induct into the ONGC drilling fleet. The rigs, in coming days will be the game changers in the drilling wells technology, which is a need of the hour.
The C4R1 is a 2,000-HP capacity advanced rig manufactured by MEIL India with indigenous technology, conforming to API standards, at its manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad. Its key components include: Top drive, Automatic pipes handing system, Power system, Drilling floor, Mud system and Blowout preventer. This rig consists of a robotic arm (stringer) to handle the pipes automatically, first time in the world for land rigs.
It has two pressure pumping units with a capacity of 7,500 PSA, which is used for the first time in India. The mud system in the rig balances the high pressure inside the well and is also used to control the blowouts by pumping mud into the well. The MEIL’s rigs can work in 200 C degree temperature and at 15,000 PSI well pressure, whereas conventional rigs can operate only at 7,500 PSI well pressure.
In spite of COVID-19, the MEIL is committed to completing the project with its expertise, dedication and hard work. Getting components from global suppliers continues to be a challenge. However, the supply chain of the industry is slowly recovering, which is helping in the timely delivery of the rigs.
Speaking on this occasion, K Satya Narayana, Technical Head, Rigs Project, MEIL, said, “As the Covid-19 is in endemic stage, we have expedited the manufacturing of rigs and their deliveries as promised. The company is playing a vital role in the energy sector, both upstream and downstream. These state-of-the-art oil rigs will have the world’s best and most advanced hydraulic technology features. As the energy prices soar, the advanced rigs are very crucial for Indian energy sector to drill the oil and gas wells faster and increase the oil and gas production for domestic use. MEIL is the first private player in India in manufacturing highly efficient oil drilling rigs with indigenous technology under the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.”
