SPRING BREAK

I had the opportunity to take a couple days during Spring Break to visit friends and family. Instead of laying out on the beach (or working on my research papers), I would up in the middle of the Wilcox Group, a Cenozoic mudstone formation with significant lignite, sandstone, and ironstone concretions. We were doing an annual "H-5 Pressure Test" for the Railroad Commission, a requirement for disposal and injection wells to demonstrate mechanical integrity.

It was really strange to be on a location and have everything so --- quiet. As Operations Controller for a major service company, I went out every chance I had (my specialty was working out sand logistics). I was used to heat, noise, and controlled bedlam running continuously for days on end.

You must understand some (significant) amounts of what we used to call "shade tree" mechanics -- not to work on the equipment, but just to stay out of trouble. You need to understand the hazards of hydrogen sulfide and the various critters that make the lease their home; everything from rattlesnakes, to cows, to (especially!) wasps.

I'll leave you with a fun graphic from Lufkin Industries - impress your friends with proper terminology! The photograph above is an older Lufkin pumpjack. In actuality, a pumpjack is a 18th century invention called a "walking beam" used with both stationary and marine steam engines, brought forward into the 21st century! It actually hasn't changed a great deal.