Oil and Gas News | Oil and Gas Jobs | Oil and Gas Engineering
The Oil & Gas Hub
  • Main
  • News
  • Photo
  • Video
  • Oilfield Jobs
  • Learning Section
  • Oil & Gas Calculator

Iron roughneck

2020.01.20
1 429

An integral part of the drilling process, iron roughnecks connect and disconnect drill pipe. Whether pipe is being fed into the wellbore or it is being taken out, the iron roughneck uses a rotary table and torque wrench(es) to make up or break down pipe.

What was once an extremely dangerous process on the rig floor has now become almost completely automated in most drilling situations. Iron roughnecks of today are fed pipe mechanically, and drillers are relatively removed from the process, many times remotely handling drilling operations from an automated drillers cabin, increasing safety and efficiency on the rig.
Despite drill pipe automation, men and women who work on the rig (usually beginners) are still coined "roughnecks," named after the process of linking drill pipe together.



Iron roughnecks clamp the bottom pipe, providing torque, while a spinning or rotary wrench turns the top pipe. Thirty-foot sections of drill pipe have one female end (or tool joint) with inside threads, or a "box," and one male tool joint with outside threads, or a "pin." Pipe is strung together by twisting the box and pin pieces together.

When a drill bit needs replacement or the well has been completed, pipe is simply turned the other way to break it down.

Related Posts

Essential STCW Courses for a Maritime Career in Offshore Oil and Gas
2025.07.23
206
Essential STCW Courses for a Maritime Career in Offshore Oil and Gas
Working in the offshore oil and gas sector often means operating in one of the most challenging envi…
Products Made From Crude Oil Other Uses For Crude
2025.06.26
171
Products Made From Crude Oil Other Uses For Crude
Crude oil is often thought of solely as the source of gasoline or diesel. However, this natural reso…
Understanding Offshore Drilling Jack-Up Rigs
2025.06.26
258
Understanding Offshore Drilling Jack-Up Rigs
Offshore drilling plays a critical role in the global energy industry, providing access to vast unde…
Downhole Tools Pocket Handbook: Run Procedures, Retrieval Steps, Calculations, Fishing Diagrams & Golden Rules
2025.06.24
408
Downhole Tools Pocket Handbook: Run Procedures, Retrieval Steps, Calculations, Fishing Diagrams & Golden Rules
The Downhole Tools Pocket Handbook is a compact, field-optimized guide created for drilling, complet…
Market quotes are powered by TradingView.com
© Oil and Gas News | Oil and Gas Jobs | Oil and Gas Engineering, 2025
ADVERTISE  | Contact Us  | Privacy Policy  
Made in studio Zuber