Well Servicing

Service Rigs

Essential’s service rigs provide production/workover and well completion services.  Service rigs are used to repair, re-complete and stimulate existing oil and natural gas wells and perform completion work on new wells.  Service rigs are typically operated by a crew of four or five workers. The rigs include a pump and tank as well as blow out preventers and support equipment.

Essential’s fleet of 51 service rigs includes:

  • Single Mobile Service Rigs:  29 (all free standing)          
  • Double Mobile Service Rigs:  20 (8 free standing)
  • Double Skidded Service Rigs:  2

The double skidded rigs are exceptional heavy duty rigs with pulling capacity of +300,000 pounds and can work to depths of +7,000m. This equipment is certified for critical sour service operations.

The service rigs operate throughout Alberta and into B.C. and Saskatchewan under the following brands:

All of Essential’s service rigs are crewed with experienced staff. They are operated in a safe, cost effective and environmentally responsible manner and maintain COR certifications and are members of the CAODC.

Essential's rig packages include a doghouse, pump trucks with a tank, BOP’s and equipment trucks. Supplementary equipment such as pipe racks, boilers, light plants, matting, and accumulators for class III BOP operation are available.

Eight of the service rigs are newly constructed in the last three years.  All of Essential’s service rigs completed their Level 4 inspections and retrofits since 2000 with over 50% of the rigs having Level 4 inspections since January 2006.  Level 4 retrofits are required for every 24,000 hours of operation. The rig and support equipment are stripped down, the rig components are dismantled, sand blasted and inspected. In most cases the major components - engines, transmissions, drawworks, pumps, derricks and overhead equipment are refurbished or replaced. When preparing for the Level 4 retrofit, the rig is upgraded with a new carrier, state of the art fall arrest and derrick egress systems and are converted to free standing, if required. 

Rod/Flush-by Rigs and Swab Rigs

Rod/flush-by rigs are primarily used to repair producing wells. This repair work may include: rod breaks on progressive cavity or beam pumps and sanded-in or waxed off oil wells. The rod/flushby rigs have the ability to circulate and pressure test tubing strings and packer assemblies. Two of the doubles are capable of working on slant wells.  

Rod/flush-by rigs are smaller and more versatile than conventional service rigs. Rig up and rig down time, as well as crew requirements are about half of a service rig.  Their relative light weight allows them to work in locations with 75% road bans in effect.

The fleet also includes six swab rigs. These compact rigs can be used for well evaluation on initial completion as well as programmed dewatering operations in shallow gas fields.

Essential’s fleet of 23 rod/flushby and swab rigs includes:

  • Rod/Flush-by Rigs:  17 
  • Swabbing Rigs: 6 

These rigs operate throughout Alberta and into Saskatchewan under the following brands:

Service Rig and Rod Rigs Sales Contacts

Equipment Count:

Service Rigs Rod Rigs
51 23