S: What an amazing expression. I know that there are some funny names for crew members too.
Like the mud man. Why is mud important?
J: There are three main reasons. First of all, it helps to lubricate the drill.
S: Like oil in a motor?
J: That’s right, otherwise the drill bit gets too hot.
S: And the other reasons?
J: The mud carries the rock that has been drilled to the top; you know, it brings it up through the
borehole to the surface. Mud also helps to control the pressure in the well.
S: Is the mud the kind of stuff we find in the garden?
J: Not exactly. It is usually a mixture of diferent things.So the mud man you talked about is the
engineer who is in charge of the mud supply.
S: Oh, right. So who else is there, then?
J:Well, there is the motor man who is in charge of the motors. He
is important because if the
motors
break down, the equipment doesn’t work. And we mustn’t
forget the roughnecks and
roustabouts. Basically, the roustabout is a general helper who does whatever is needed to support
the team.
S: And what about the roughnecks?
J: Well, they are the guys on the drilling floor. They move the pipes and join them up.
Roughnecks are strong tough guys who physical work in difficult conditions.
Task 9 Read the dialogue again and answer the questions.
1) What is the difference between the company man and the drill pusher?
2) Why does the derrickman stand on the monkey board?
3) What do they call it when they take part of the drill string out of the ground and put it back
again?
4) What are three different things mud does?
Task 10 Which job do you think is the most......
tiring? complicated? stressfull? dangerous? interesting?