With the drilling expertise of Steve Akerman and the solid manufacturing capabilities of American Augers the two joined forces in 2006. Steve wanted to take his drilling methodology to a forefront never seen in the oil and gas industry. The design is state of the art, compact, fast, and cost effective. Steve's goal was simple and to the point "I want to build the most advanced and productive horizontal drilling rig in the world."

The first rig design made its debut in June 2007. Horizontal Well Drillers set out to do ten test wells in Indiana. The area already had wells drilled vertical on site many years ago. The new drill was set up to go the same depth as the existing wells then go horizontal. The very first well was drilled and completed in 16 days. The lateral was 5,000' long. The remaining wells were drilled out and completed with laterals up to 5,000' in 14 days. We are setting surface pipe, intermediate casing, and cutting the lateral while maintaining a high ROP. The wells that have been drilled out ranged from 400' to 700' deep with horizontal ranges from 4,000 ft to 5400 ft' in less  time established with the AFE and has increased the pay zone exposure by  as much as 108 times.

Since that first well was drilled in June of 2007 the design of the rig has gone through two stages of change. We are now on our 3^rd generation design and have had complete satisfaction in what the rig can do in the field. Our top drive has the best in class performance than any other drilling rig in the world. The top drive produces a massive 38,000 ft-lbs. of torque. With this new drill rig we have created the ability to drill oil & gas wells ranging from 500' to 13,000' in vertical depth, with a proven horizontal capability of up to 7,000' (longer laterals are in the near future). The rating on this new drill rig is 13,000' true vertical depth, or a combination of both vertical and horizontal.

Below are key features that separate the VR-330 from other drill rigs.

• Major Increase In Pay Zone
• Long Horizontal Laterals At Shallow Depths (500')
• Laterals Have Been Successfully Drilled Out To 7,000' (New record for PA)
• ROP (Rate of Penetration) Remains Constant (80% at 7,000')
• Pushes And Pulls 330,000lbs.
• Top Drive - Best In Class Performance - Massive 38,000 ft-lbs. Of Torque
• Wobble Stick Technology - Allows Curves & Laterals To Be Drilled Faster
• Drill Pipe Can Range From As Large As 6 5/8 Down To 2 3/8
• Lateral Hole 44% Larger Than Normal Conventional
• Drilling Laterals At Depths Conventional Rigs Can Not.
• Fully Self Contained Drilling System
• Very Mobile - One Day Rig Up - One Day Rig Down
• Low Moving Cost
• Casing Can Be Run With Or Without Casing Crews
• No Lay Down Machines Needed
• We Can Rotate & Circulate The Hole While Running Casing
• Tool Joints Are Less Likely To Be Caught In Keyseats Downhole Do To The Ability To Rotate Drill Pipe While Tripping
• Safety - Minimized Roughneck Assistance. 99% Self Automated. When Tripping Pipe Or Making A Connection No Roughnecks On Floor.
• AFE Savings - A Reduction In Most Proposed AFE
• Enclosed Mud Cleaning System
• One Rig From Start To Completion

Here at HWD we have set our expectations very high. Look for more rig designs and advanced features that will allow us to go even further in our quest to build the most advanced rigs in the world.

High Performance Top Drive

Derrick Being Stood Up