Drilling Fluid - Mud Engineer

Mud Engineer

"Mud engineer" is the name given to an oil field service company individual who is charged with maintaining a drilling fluid or completion fluid system on an oil and/or gas drilling rig. This individual typically works for the company selling the chemicals for the job and is specifically trained with those products, though independent mud engineers are still common. The work schedule of the mud engineer or more properly Drilling Fluids Engineer, is arduous, often involving long shifts. Typical shifts range from twenty-one days on and seven off, to five weeks on and five weeks off. Consulting mud men can work up to one hundred days or longer, in a row. Nowadays, the internationally accepted shift pattern at off-shore drilling operations is personnel (including mud engineers) work on a 28 day shift pattern, where they work for 28 continuous days and rest the following 28 days. In Europe this is more commonly a 21 day shift pattern.

In offshore drilling, with new technology and high total day costs, wells are being drilled extremely fast. Having two mud engineers makes economic sense to prevent down time due to drilling fluid difficulties. Two mud engineers also reduce insurance costs to oil companies for environmental damage that oil companies are responsible for during drilling and production. A senior mud engineer typically works in the day, and a junior mud engineer at night.

The cost of the drilling fluid is typically about 10% (may vary greatly) of the total cost of drilling a well, and demands competent mud engineers. Large cost savings result when the mud engineer and fluid performs adequately.

The mud engineer is not to be confused with mudloggers, service personnel who monitor gas from the mud and collect well bore samples.