When people think of the oilfield, they probably think of guys in hard hats working on drilling rigs, either on land or in the ocean. They know we get our gasoline from oil (although many people think this is one and the same as well). And they may know a few oil companies such as ExxonMobile and Chevron. However, if you’re unfamiliar with the oil and gas industry as a whole, you probably don’t know what is an oilfield service company.
Northern Oilfield Services is an oilfield service company that offers oilfield equipment rentals to other oilfield service companies. We offer fracking, wellhead, and drilling equipment rentals, as well as the maintenance and service of the oilfield equipment in order to save our customers’ time and money. In this article, we’ll dive into what exactly is an oilfield service company and why they are crucial to the oilfield industry as a whole. Contact us today to learn more!
WHAT IS AN OILFIELD SERVICE COMPANY?
You think of oilfield service companies as those who do the grunt work in the oilfield. Officially, oilfield equipment and services (OFS) is all the products and services that help with oil and gas exploration and production. It includes those companies that discover pockets of oil, energy data management, drilling companies, well construction companies, and production and completion services. These are the companies, like Northern Oilfield Services based out of Williston, that repair and maintain oilfield equipment, as well as companies that are involved in the extraction and transportation side.
The oilfield service company industry arose out of the major mergers of oil companies in the late 1990s. While these mergers were great for optimizing assets and logistics, it became incredibly expensive to maintain the actual drilling and managing of wells. Hence, smaller, more nimble oilfield service companies developed that specialized in one or a few of the many processes it takes to bring oil from the ground to the refinery and beyond. These oilfield service companies today do the majority of the oil and gas development for the bigger oil companies.
WHERE DO OILFIELD SERVICE COMPANIES FIT IN?
The oil and gas industry is a massive industry that takes a whole network of companies to bring oil and the products made from oil to the market. In order to simplify things, we’ll start with exploration and production, which is the bulk of the work when it comes to extracting oil from the ground and sea.
Exploration is just what it sounds like — the process of searching the ground for hydrocarbons (the predominant compound of oil and natural gas) for the shale formations where these deposits of oil and natural gas are found. Technology such as seismology is used, where the ground is artificially shakened, as companies look for vibration signals that may indicate these pockets of oil and gas.
Once these pockets are discovered, the process of well development begins and the method of extraction used will be determined. Fracking, for example, is one extraction method. This is where you’ll see the wells being drilled and platforms in the ocean constructed.
If the wells find oil or natural gas, production begins, which is where these liquid hydrocarbons are extracted from the wells and sold.
Oilfield service companies are usually involved in the development and production of the oil and gas industry. Contrary to what many people think, extracting oil and gas from the earth or ocean is not as simple as just drilling a well and, boom, you see gushing oil spewing out like in the Beverly Hillbillies. Once a well is drilled, many activities still need to be to performed and maintenance rendered for that well in order for it to produce and continue to produce oil and/or natural gas. Some of these include logging, cementing, casing, perforating, fracturing, and maintenance. These types of oil field activities is the lifeblood of the oil field service industry.
WHY THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY NEEDS OILFIELD SERVICE COMPANIES
Without oilfield service companies, the oil and gas industry would not be as profitable as it is, nor would it be as efficient or timely. The demand for oil never ceases, and in order to fuel that demand, the quest for oil and the extraction of oil is a 24/7, seven days a week, 365 days a year job. There are so many roles and processes, as listed above, that go into extraction and production that thousands of people are needed to bring one barrel of oil to the market. Without oilfield service companies, the oil and gas industry would be cumbersome and slow.
HOW NORTHERN OILFIELD SERVICES CAN HELP
Northern Oilfield Services based out of Williston offers oilfield equipment rentals, such as fracking, wellhead, and drilling equipment. We provide wellhead and valve parts, as well as repair services for your wellhead equipment. When you partner with us, you can expect exceptional customer service, compliance with all codes for maintenance of your oilfield equipment, and timely service. We understand that time is money, and we do our best to ensure you never have any down time on location.
Whether you need an oilfield equipment rental for the short-term or the long-term, Northern Oilfield Services can help. We operate throughout the West, including North Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado, and we can come to your location for oilfield equipment maintenance service. We can provide virtually everything your well site needs. Contact us today to get started!