Producing Blast-Resistant Concrete

If you travel to Normandy in France, you'll still see the remains of the German bunkers used in the failed attempt to hold the beaches during D-Day. On another note, the bunker deep inside the Cheyenne Mountains is designed to withstand a nuclear blast equivalent to 1,875 Hiroshima bombs. What makes both structures tough enough to withstand the test of time?

Part of the secret lies in the quality of the concrete used. This simple mixture of cement, water, rocks, sand, and air creates a composite material known to be not only long-lasting but tough. Provided that the right mix is achieved, buildings can benefit from the strength and endurance of this material, which has been around since Roman times.

To avoid miscalculating concrete mixes, contractors normally set up concrete batch plants on site. These massive mixing systems provide cement trucks with the right concrete mix for various applications. As there's no universally accepted recipe, the task of achieving the right mix still falls upon the operator. The system will, however, take into account calculations like the water/cement ratio.

The mixture is then loaded onto a cement truck at the distribution station. Thereafter, the truck will keep the mix fluid until it reaches the site, where it will be casted onto the framework.

Land-Based Drilling Still Dominant

The Gulf Coast accounts for a tenth of total U.S. oil production. However, America's status as a major oil producer can also be attributed to its land basins.

The largest concentration of oil and gas fields can be found in three major areas. The first one, the Appalachian basin, stretches from the southern coasts of Lakes Erie and Ontario all the way to the southern edge of Kentucky. The other two areas can be found within Texas, with one stretching from the Mexico-U.S. border to the tip of Alabama.

The immense activity in these fields is fueled by the simplicity of land-based drilling. The rigs used at these sites are smaller than most oil rigs, but they're easy to set up and operate. Such a rig may be no larger than a house, helping prospectors save on construction and maintenance costs. In addition, looking for oil on land doesn't require a system as complex as a drillship.

That said, a simple land-based rig is complex in its own right. After all, this system consists of various parts and equipment working together to establish new wells in response to increasing demand for fossil fuel. For instance, the drawworks controls the depth of the drill bit and pulls it out when the drilling rig hits jackpot.

Safety Reminders When Squeezing Cement

There are many reasons why squeezing cement may be necessary. Although the reasons are different, the safety protocols remain the same. Regardless of where you are in your career as a workover rig worker, a refresher course on safety is a good thing. With that in mind, here are a few safety reminders to remember when working:

Pressure Buildup

When squeezing cement, the primary concern is the immense pressure the process generates, as the added pressure could ruin equipment. Ideally, one person should be dedicated to monitoring the pressure at all times. You should also make sure that all connections and equipment ratings have been tested properly, so as to avoid equipment failure and damage.

Personal Protective Equipment

The cement pumped into the well is an extreme irritant, so make sure that you are outfitted with the proper personal protective equipment. The less skin exposed, the better. In particular, you should prioritize wraparound goggles when squeezing cement, as getting cement in the eyes could cause permanent damage.

It takes both a personal and collective effort to keep your colleagues and yourself safe when working. Do your part by adhering to the safety reminders above, and don’t be afraid to remind your co-workers if you notice that they are not complying.

Stuff to secure on Lowboys

Heavy haul trailers such as the so-called “lowboy” models are often a boon to companies seeking transport of a large volume of materials. As their name implies, the main cargo bed is already machined to be more aligned with the trailer wheels’ axles, allowing for a lower center of gravity. Some sellers have models of between 55 tons to 60 tons. The design helps in the ease of loading, but the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has limited the types of materials that can be loaded onto lowboys. Here are a couple of them:

Vehicles

A lowboy trailer may have space for at least one vehicle, whether it’s an automobile, van, or light truck, as long as they each weigh no more than 10,000 pounds. However, if each vehicle’s weight is above the specified limit, especially for heavy machines, extra care is needed to secure it well. Machines with articulated parts, such as backhoes and cranes, should be locked down to prevent movement in transit.

Pipes

Pipes on low-boys provide a spiffy challenge for transport crews. When several pipes are bundled together on the bed, they must be adequately tied down to prevent them from rolling while in transit. The tie-downs must have an aggregate working load limit that is equal to at least half the total weight of all pipes.

Lowboy trailers provide adequate stability for materials during road transit. Proper stowage will add to the stability.

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What are Concrete Batch Plants?

Colloquially known as concrete mixing plants, these are the places where concrete is manufactured. The process involved in creating concrete is called batching, hence the name, which is comprised of cement being mixed with coarse aggregate (graded crush) and fine aggregate (sand, particularly pit sand), as well as with water.

There are two main types of concrete batch plants, namely the ready-mix and central mix ones. Ready-mix plants involve the combination of all abovementioned ingredients, with the exception of water. Here, the so-called “dry” mixture will be loaded onto a ready mix or concrete transport truck and dispatched to the site where mixing is required. Afterwards, water will then be added to the dry mixture during the actual journey to the mixing site.

On the other hand, central mix plants are a bit of a contrast – in here, either all or some of the dry ingredients will be combined. Then, water will also be added while the mixture is still held in the central location. Afterwards, the now-wet mixture is transported to the subsequent mixing site.

Nowadays, it’s not all about traditional methods as computers are now prevalent and ever-present in batch plants. A vast majority of these plants are now equipped with an array of computers to guide the concrete processing, allowing for a faster, more accurate mixing of ingredients.

Parts of an Oil Drilling Rig

Offshore oil drilling rigs stand as massive structures usually found in the middle of a vast sea without any land mass around. These giants pump petroleum from off the ground for processing and transport to refineries, where oil is refined for various purposes. Here are some of the most essential parts of the drill rig:

Drawworks

Drawworks (or draw-works) refers to the hoisting mechanism that raises and lowers traveling blocks for the rig. Modern drawworks are made up of five components: the motor, reduction gear, drums, main brake, and auxiliary brake. They can either be powered by a DC or AC motor, or connected directly to external diesel engines via metal belts.

Drill Line and String

The drill line is the sturdy wire rope that is threaded and reeved through blocks, and is used to facilitate the lowering and raising of the main drill string in and out of the wellbore. The string on the other hand, is a column of drill pipes that transmits fluid and torque into the drill bit. Its other components include the bottom hole assembly and transition pipe.

Derrick

The derrick is the machine that’s responsible for lifting the entire rig’s drill mechanism. It can either be a tower or a guyed mast that’s hinged freely at the bottom. The oil derrick also contains the mechanism for turning the drill bit into the hole or wellbore.

On the Benefits of Local Oil Generation

The United States, along with the rest of the world, will have to depend on fossil fuels until there is a way to utilize more environmentally-sustainable forms of energy. Fossil fuels power the industries that help move the human race forward into discovering newer and safer technologies.

The United States’ biggest oil-related problem is the prevalence of imported oil. At least 60% of the country’s oil usage comes from imports, with 13.15 million barrels imported in a single day. If the United States produced more of its own oil, it could reap great benefits:

Energy Security

The biggest problem the United States has to deal with in competing for international oil is the scarcity of product set against an entire planet of competitors to obtain it. More locally produced oil means that the United States won’t have to depend wholly on the availability of supply worldwide to thrive.

Improved Trade

Americans spend a lot of money to obtain oil from an ever volatile global market that keeps on inflating. If the U.S. were to produce more oil locally, then they won’t have to bend to the whim of the global market, and funds can be focused on improving the nation.

More Jobs

Increased efforts toward harvesting local oil means good for the American people. It won’t just decrease oil prices; it’ll also increase the local generation of oil, and thus more jobs.